Vulgar tongues
Subtitle: an alternative history of English slang
By: Max Décharné
Edition: First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 388
ISBN-13: 9781681774640
Subjects: English language; Slang; History
Description: Décharné traces the colorful history of slang, from Elizabethan highwaymen to the rap and hip-hop of today. He shows how meanings change over years; introduces us to flying aces, pickpockets, and carnival geeks who have left their impression on our language; and shows how slang leaks into the mainstream to infuse language with vitality.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-357) and index.
Table of contents: title: The mark of a decadent mind; title: Vagabond speech and rogue's Latin; title: The beast with two backs; title: The oldest profession; title: This bag of bones; title: Polari missiles; title: Here's to crime; title: Tails you booze; title: High as a kite; title: Dig that sound; title: It takes a record company with millions to push us forward; title: Burn baby burn; title: Uniform patterns of speech; title: The last word.