A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (Hardcover)

~ (Editor), Paul Beale (Editor)
Key Phrases: foot regiment, brass hats, plain tales, Stock Exchange, Winchester College, Home Office (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Endlessly fascinating: quirkish, illuminating, and instructive. To browse in it is like eating peanuts: addictive to the extreme. If one must limit an appraisal of Partridge's torrential work to but one adjective, the choice is a breeze: stupendous.' - Leo Rosten, Encounter

`Endlessly fascinating: quirkish, illuminating, and instructive. To browse in it is like eating peanuts: addictive to the extreme. If one must limit an appraisal of Partridges torrential work to but one adjective, the choice is a breeze: stupendous. - Leo Rosten, Encounter

`Massive and endlessly fascinating.' - Paul Davies, Mail on Sunday

`Massive and endlessly fascinating. - Paul Davies, Mail on Sunday

`Paul Beale's eighth edition preserves the emphasis and lightly worn pedantry of earlier editions and enhances the work's usefulness with a single alphabetical listing, more systematic internal arrangement of entries, and of course more recent material.' - The Year's Work in English Studies

`Paul Beales eighth edition preserves the emphasis and lightly worn pedantry of earlier editions and enhances the works usefulness with a single alphabetical listing, more systematic internal arrangement of entries, and of course more recent material. - The Years Work in English Studies --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Description

The definitive work on slang, this dictionary gives a fully documented account of slang and unconventional English over four centuries and will entertain and inform all lovers of the English language.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1432 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 8th edition (May 10, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0710098200
• ISBN-13: 978-0710098207
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,213,860 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most entertaining of dictionaries, June 28, 1997

By A Customer

Both informative and fun to read, the Dictionary contains both definitions and word history for ALL levels of colloquial English. Unlike other dictionaries of the sort, it includes even words that were colloquial or slang once.

Before I read it I didn't realise that history of words could be so entertaining. E. Partridge has presented a hoard of entertaining information in an entertaining way.

Even if you know all the English there is to know, the Dictionary is full of word stories you might still like to read. Do you know how the organ representing human courage over the centuries went all the way from heart to pluck, down to guts and below?

I haven't checked the facts for a few years, but it still may be the largest collection of slang and colloquial terms for ANY slanguage

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You probably know some words that don't appear in this compendium, but not very many, January 7, 2007

By	F. Sheffield "fsheff" (San Diego CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (Dictionary of Slang and Unconvetional English) (Paperback)

Wonderful piece of work, a standard in its field, but a time thief: bet you can't look up just one ...