Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.