Books : Reference : Dictionaries & Thesauri : Slang & Idioms

• Home
• US Store
• Electronics
• Computers
• Sitemap

Books : Reference : Dictionaries & Thesauri : Slang & Idioms

• Merde!: The Real French You Were Never Taught at School: the Real French You Were Never Taught at School

  Genevi eve

  
  
   

• Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words

  Christopher Foyle

  
  
   

• The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms (Oxford Paperback Reference)

  Judith Siefring, Jennifer Speake

  
  
   

• Mo' Urban Dictionary: Ridonkulous Street Slang Defined

  Aaron Peckham

  
  
   

• Dictionary of French Slang and Colloquial Expressions

  Henry Strutz

  
  
   

• The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms (4,000+ Idioms) (Penguin Reference Books)

  Daphne M. Gulland, David G. Hinds-Howell

  
  
   

• Harrap's Pardon My French! (Pocket Slang Dictionary) (Pocket Slang Dictionary)

  
  
   

• Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary (Collins Cobuild)

  Collins COBUILD

  
  
   

• Dictionary of Italian Slang and Colloquial Expressions

  Daniela Gobetti

  
  
   

• Urban Dictionary: Fularious Street Slang Defined

  Aaron Peckham

  
  
   

• The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang (Oxford Paperback Reference)

  John Ayto, John Simpson

  
  
   

• Chambers Slang Dictionary

  Jonathon Green

  
  
   

• The Devil's Dictionary (Thrift Editions)

  Ambrose Bierce

  
  
   

• The Oxford Dictionary of Rhyming Slang (Oxford Paperback Reference)

  John Ayto

  
  Any "twist and twirl" or "heap of coke" who assumes that rhyming slang is an obscure and exclusive Cockney province can think again. You would hardly "Adam and Eve" some of the more recent coinages in The Oxford Dictionary of Rhyming Slang coming as they do from all walks of life and all over the world.

  The first reference to rhyming slang was in John Camden Hotten's The Slang Dictionary (1859) and it probably originated as an underworld code before developing into a form of word play that people found fun. They still do. Alongside the old favourites such as "dicky dirt" for shirt and "whistle and flute" for suit are plenty of Tony Blairs (flairs) Claire Rayners (trainers) Britney Spears (beers) and Steffi Graf (laugh). Language is in a continuous state of change and Ayto gives us some delightful obsolete expressions such as "apple pips" for lips or "bowl the hoop" for soup alongside some tasty current ones such as Duchess of York (pork) and Schindler's List (pissed).

  Ayto gets really entertaining though when he when he gets into the euphemistic territory of body parts and functions. If you call someone a "berk" or "burk" and think that's quite mild just remember it derives from a rhyme with Berkley or Berkshire hunt. Whores have variously been called "boat and oar", "bolt the door" (graphically reduced to "old bolts"), "Doug McClure", "Roger Moore", "sloop of war" and "two by four". And ask yourself what "raspberry ripple" and "Christmas crackers" might rhyme with.

  For word lovers the thematic sections of The Oxford Dictionary of Rhyming Slang is an enlightening browse with lots of historical titbits. --Susan Elkin

  
   

• Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English (10,000+ Idioms) (ELT)

  
  
   

• Harrap's Pardon My Spanish! (Pocket Slang Dictionary) (Pocket Slang Dictionary)

  
  
   

• The Big Red Book of Spanish Idioms: 4,000 Idiomatic Expressions: 12,000 Idiomatic Expressions

  Peter Weibel

  
  
   

• Dirty Japanese: Everyday Slang from 'what's Up' to "F*ck Off'

  Matt Fargo, Seigo Nakao

  
  
   

• Dictionary of German Slang and Colloquial Expressions (Barron's)

  Henry Strutz

  
  
   

• Stone the Crows: Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang (Oxford Paperback Reference)