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Author
Language
English
Description
The "1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," was written by Francis Grose (a British soldier) just after the American Revolution. In those days, the word vulgar meant slang (although some of Grose's definitions are admittedly vulgar). The book was so controversial, it was banned in military camps at the time. Some of the definitions are really funny, even today. Others are educational, entertaining, or both. Readers of this book will have a better...
Author
Language
English
Description
First published in 1811, this book is an extensive dictionary of contemporary slang and colloquialisms written by Francis Grose. Francis Grose (before 1731 – 1791) was an English draughtsman, antiquary, and lexicographer. Other notable works by this author include "The antiquities of England and Wales", (1784), "A glossary of provincial and local words used in England" (1839) and "The antiquities of Scotland" (1797). "A Classical Dictionary of the...
Author
Language
English
Description
A profane guide to the slang from eighteenth-century London's backstreets and taverns and how to use the antique jargon and curse words in modern conversation.
This slang dictionary gathers the most amusing and useful terms from English history and helpfully presents them to be used in the conversations of today.
Originally published in 1785, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was one of the first lexicons of English slang, compiled...
Author
Publisher
Duke Classics
Pub. Date
2014
Language
English
Description
Throughout history, most dictionaries have served the purpose of preserving the purity of the language, usually preferring the erudite vocabulary of the affluent upper classes to the salty, constantly evolving slang of their working-class counterparts. That began to change in the early modern period, when several innovative lexicographers began publishing collections of slang terms used by particular subcultures, such as criminals. According to
...Author
Language
English
Description
Do you know your abbess from your elbowshaker? Originally printed as a guide to street slang for men of quality, this reference guide will enrich your vocabulary with vulgar witticisms fashionable more than 200 years ago.The avowed purpose of this dictionary was to give men "of fashion" an insight into the inappropriate language of the street. Read in modern times it is by turn uproariously funny and deeply confusing and yet certain truths have...