The Slang of Sin (Lighter Side of Language) [Paperback]

Tom Dalzell (Author), Istvan Banyai (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0877796270 | ISBN-13: 978-0877796275 | Publication Date: January 1999 | Edition: 1

Uncover the unique, and often entertaining, slang surrounding sin and vice. Language topics run the gamut from alcohol and drugs to gambling and sex. Includes word lore about the seven deadly sins.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Sin in all of its manifestations," writes Tom Dalzell in his introduction to The Slang of Sin, "excites linguistic creativity." And so it does. Dalzell seems to have infiltrated all variety of subcultures to assemble this dazzling collection of sinful slang. And with Dalzell's help, you, too, can talk body piercing (poking holes), the numbers racket (the Kentucky lottery), safecracking (knocking a peter), drug dealing (layin' down the hustle), and prison sex (jailhouse rock) with the best of 'em. Dalzell defines sin as those activities that "have been at times considered by society to be vices." So alongside red chicken (heroin), plumbing the bones (loading the dice), and woodsman (a male porn star who reliably achieves and maintains erection until the appropriate moment) in this language guide are a lady's friend (contraception), housewives special (daytime bingo), and night nurse (a cigarette smoked in the middle of the night). --Jane Steinberg

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Merriam-Webster; 1 edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877796270
• ISBN-13: 978-0877796275
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,914,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great idea; well executed, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Slang of Sin (Lighter Side of Language) (Paperback)

As a fiction writer, there is never such a thing for me as learning too many things. Especially when it has to do with life around us. So, "The Slang of Sin" makes a great reference book for me as a writer, as well as an entertaining read. Filled to the brim with countless tidbits of information and synonyms, this book shows the results of two authors who have done their homework. Plus, it's attractively designed in easy-to-follow magazine style. Witty cartoons and illustrations by Istvan Banyai, appropriate for each chapter, are another plus.

One complaint: too often the authors get carried away with their facetiousness. It's not a big problem, nor a pervasive one, but uppity, smart-alec comments such as "get's right to the point, doesn't it!" are distracting and annoying.

Still, this is a subject rarely covered, and this book does it well.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dirty book for dirty minds. You got a problem with that?, September 8, 2003

By 

Brian Connors (Yarmouth, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Slang of Sin (Lighter Side of Language) (Paperback)

Ah, sin. The lure of the forbidden, the rush of doing something your mommy told you not to do... "The worst thing about Sunday morning is finding out what you did Saturday night."

The only problem with this book is that to do justice to a subject like this you'd need something much bigger.

Broken down by the Seven Deadlies, profusely illustrated by Istvan Banyai's (to put it charitably) weird art, this book tells you way more than you really need to know about the slang of various underworlds -- criminal, sexual, monetary, and otherwise. From the brain-dead psychedelic drug slang of the 60s to the leaden patter of astrology to the loopy rhyming slang of poker players who've played one too many rounds of Texas Hold'em that evening, from street gangs to biker gangs, from the fictional street toughs of the books of Damon Runyon to the real-life craps pits of old Alabama and modern Las Vegas, it's hard to say this book has them all, but it's got a damn fine sampling. Even prison slang, AA, and the Salvation Army are here.

The book talks about historical slang too, going into origins of current slang and the cant of past subcultures. It's not a dry lexicon of slang either; slang is intimately bound up in its context, and the author tries to give the reader a feel for that world: the God's Army mentality of the "Sally", the high-school exuberance of one specific Canadian cribbage club, the startling matter-of-factness of the porn industry contrasted sharply with the opaqueness of its jargon. Sidebars abound, and the type is a bit narrow, combining with Banyai's cartoons to make a somewhat odd reading experience, but it's still an interesting enough book to grab your attention.

We live in a culture that is slowly becoming more open, and sorting out one's comfort zone has become an everyone-for-themselves proposition. This book will at least shine some light into those darker areas, and give you a giggle or eight in the process.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Book EVER!!, September 8, 2001

By 

Daniel Goldlist (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Slang of Sin (Lighter Side of Language) (Paperback)

This book was the greatest book EVER written. I was sent this book by the author himself, and I was blown away!! I was especially impressed by the extensive Cribbage section, as well as the insert on Cribbage Inc... BUY THIS BOOK..... NOW!!