Contemporary British Slang: An Up-To-Date Guide to the Slang of Modern British English (Ntc Reference) [Abridged] [Paperback]

Ewart James (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ntc Reference | Publication Date: January 1999

Criss-cross (crossword puzzle), jam sandwich (police car), and pull the moody (sulk) are examples of nearly 2,000 amusing and quirky slang expressions defined and included in over 4,000 example sentences. This is an abridged edition of NTC's Dictionary of British Slang and Colloquial Expressions' extensive cross-referencing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ntc Pub Group; abridged edition edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844204684
• ISBN-13: 978-0844204680
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,737,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Concise, July 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Contemporary British Slang: An Up-To-Date Guide to the Slang of Modern British English (Ntc Reference) (Paperback)

I was very disappointed to find out that the number of entries in this reference book is so shamefully small. The problem with this book is therefore not its contents, but rather its failure to present the multitude of contemporary British slang. Actually, I've felt deceived.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A very poor "dictionary", August 21, 2003

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Contemporary British Slang: An Up-To-Date Guide to the Slang of Modern British English (Ntc Reference) (Paperback)

Anyone who reads English mystery novels or who watches British TV series (especially those intended only for domestic viewing, where the writers haven't made allowances for a residual U.S. audience) occasionally runs into slang and cant that is part of the mental furniture of most Brits but which can be puzzling to Americans. I imagine everyone knows what a "lift" or a "lorry" is (neither of which is included in this book), but where in the world is "Honkers"? And what are "maggies" or "nadgers"? Having spent some time in Britain, and counting a number of Brits among my friends and colleagues, and being a student of language (I'm an editor), I'm always interested in books like this -- but this one is a decided disappointment, lacking in many areas.

First: There are many words and phrases here that aren't exclusively, or even predominantly, British, including "graft," "grand" (meaning a thousand dollars or pounds), "gold widow," "push-start" (referring to an automobile), "foodie," "take a pew," and "the mind boggles."

Second: The author includes words that are certainly British but are not slang in any sense of the word, such as "longstop" and "googly." These are simply technical terms in cricket -- and the author doesn't both to explain what they actually mean, or their derivation, in any case.

Third: There are quite a few *good* inclusions for which a simple meaning is provided, but which really ought to have had more etymological detail. What *is* the "spanner" that gets in the works? *Why* is a convertible called a "drophead"? Where does the "spare" come from in "go spare"?

Fourth: There's far too much rhyming slang in this slender volume -- maybe a third of the listings -- and the majority of them aren't even close to being "contemporary," as the title claims. I ran a number of these laborered constructions past my Brit friends, and they had never heard them, either. Does *anyone* who isn't being self-consciously cute refer to a waistcoat as a "Jimmy Prescott"? Does anyone outside Ascot even *wear* a waistcoat? And I note that the crude term "Kermit," meaning a Frenchman (a "frog," that is) is also described as rhyming slang, which it isn't.

Fifth: I know no such compilation could ever be complete, but I was able to think almost immediately of a number of reasonably common, non-obvious terms you won't find here, such as "Oz" for Australia, "dropsy" for a bribe, and "lifted" for being arrested. Also, James includes "go down a treat" (speaking of food) but makes no mention of the more threatening (and more common) "do you a treat, mate." There's no information regarding the author's background for this sort of assignment, but it can't have been much.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars too concise, July 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Contemporary British Slang: An Up-To-Date Guide to the Slang of Modern British English (Ntc Reference) (Paperback)

I was very disappointed to find out that the number of entries in this dictionary is shamefully small. Therefore, the problem with the book is not its contents, but rather the multitude of contemporary British slang that is not included. I am sorry to say that I've felt deceived.