The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English

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The heir and successor to Eric Partridge's brilliant magnum opus, The Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, this two-volume New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English is the definitive record of post WWII slang.

Containing over 60,000 entries, this new edition of the authoritative work on slang details the slang and unconventional English of the English-speaking world since 1945, and through the first decade of the new millennium, with the same thorough, intense, and lively scholarship that characterized Partridge's own work.

Unique, exciting and, at times, hilariously shocking, key features include:



unprecedented coverage of World English, with equal prominence given to American and British English slang, and entries included from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa, Ireland, and the Caribbean

emphasis on post-World War II slang and unconventional English

published sources given for each entry, often including an early or significant example of the term’s use in print.

hundreds of thousands of citations from popular literature, newspapers, magazines, movies, and songs illustrating usage of the headwords

dating information for each headword

in the tradition of Partridge, commentary on the term’s origins and meaningNew to this edition:



A new preface noting slang trends of the last five yearsOver 1,000 new entries from the US, UK and AustraliaNew terms from the language of social networkingMany entries now revised to include new dating, new citations from written sources and new glosses The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English is a spectacular resource infused with humour and learning – it’s rude, it’s delightful, and it’s a prize for anyone with a love of language.