num_pages: 480
description: Here, John Ayto has brought together over 10,000 slang words and phrases common to 20th-century English, to provide a comprehensive and highly engaging guide to the most outspoken corner of our language. Unlike most such dictionaries, this volume is organized thematically, with slang wordsgathered under such headings as "the body and its functions" or "sustenance and intoxication." Within each section, the words are listed chronologically, starting with the century's earliest words and phrases and progressing right through to the present day, thus illuminating the development ofslang and colloquial language over the last hundred years. Word origins and other interesting features of usage are given wherever possible, as are illustrative quotations from a wide range of authors. A comprehensive A-Z index lists all words included in the dictionary, so you can find a particularword quickly. From "five-finger discount" to "forty-rod whiskey," this is an authoritative and up-to-date record of slang throughout the English-speaking world.
language: English
title: The Oxford Dictionary of Slang
titlecomplete: The Oxford Dictionary of Slang (Oxford Quick Reference)
genres: Reference, Dictionaries, Language
ratings_count: 24
publisher: Oxford University Press