Slang bibliography - recommended reading on slang.

Words beginning with:  A . B . C . D . E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M . N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X . Y . Z .  Abbreviations used

Some suggested reading material, in paper form - remember that stuff? Unfortunately not all the listings are still in print so you'll need to get down to your local library and 'mither the pants off' them for an available copy. Alternatively order the title online, direct through Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, they sometimes sell used copies. Also do have a look at our dedicated buy books on slang page for specific items available on Amazon, all recommended.

A DICTIONARY OF SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH
A DICTIONARY OF SLANG AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENGLISH

Eric Partridge.
Published by Routledge and Kegan Paul / London. 1984.

CASSELL's DICTIONARY OF SLANG
CASSELL's DICTIONARY OF SLANG

Jonathon Green.
Published by Weidenfield & Nicholson / London. 2005.
PORT OUT, STARBOARD HOME & OTHER LANGUAGE MYTHS
PORT OUT, STARBOARD HOME & OTHER LANGUAGE MYTHS

Michael Quinion.
Published by Penguin Books / London. 2004.
THE BIG BOOK OF FILTH
THE BIG BOOK OF FILTH

Jonathon Green.
Published by Cassell / London. 1999.
SLANG DOWN THE AGES
SLANG DOWN THE AGES

Jonathon Green.
Published by Kyle Cathie Limited. 1994.
A DICTIONARY OF RHYMING SLANG
A DICTIONARY OF RHYMING SLANG

Julian Franklyn.
Published by Routledge and Kegan Paul / London. 1975.
FRESH RABBIT- A DICK'N'HARRY OF CONTEMPORARY RHYMING SLANG
FRESH RABBIT- A DICK'N'HARRY OF CONTEMPORARY RHYMING SLANG

Ray Puxley.
Published by Robson Books / London. 1998.
CASSELL'S RHYMING SLANG
CASSELL'S RHYMING SLANG

Jonathon Green.
Published by Cassell / London. 2000.
THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF RHYMING SLANG
THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF RHYMING SLANG

John Ayto.
Published by Oxford University Press / Oxford. 2002.
THE SEPTIC'S COMPANION
THE SEPTIC'S COMPANION

Chris Rae.
Published by Chris Rae. 2008.
OUTBURSTS: A QUEER EROTIC THESAURUS
OUTBURSTS: A QUEER EROTIC THESAURUS

A.D. Peterkin.
Published by Arsenal Pulp Press / Vancouver. 2003.

THE BALD-HEADED HERMIT AND THE ARTICHOKE: AN EROTIC THESAURUS
THE BALD-HEADED HERMIT AND THE ARTICHOKE: AN EROTIC THESAURUS

A.D. Peterkin.
Published by Arsenal Pulp Press / Vancouver. 2001.
FANTABULOSA - A DICTIONARY OF POLARI AND GAY SLANG
FANTABULOSA - A DICTIONARY OF POLARI AND GAY SLANG

Paul Baker.
Published by Continuum / London. 2002.
DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY SLANG
DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY SLANG

Tony Thorne.
Published by Bloomsbury / London. 1997.
A DICTIONARY OF PLAYGROUND SLANG
A DICTIONARY OF PLAYGROUND SLANG

Chris Lewis.
Published by Allison & Busby Ltd / London. 2003.
SLANGUAGE - A DICTIONARY OF IRISH SLANG
SLANGUAGE - A DICTIONARY OF IRISH SLANG

Bernard Share.
Published by Gill and Macmillan / Dublin. 1997.
FLAPPERS 2 RAPPERS - AMERICAN YOUTH SLANG
FLAPPERS 2 RAPPERS - AMERICAN YOUTH SLANG

Tom Dalzell.
Published by Merriam-Webster / Springfield, Massachusetts. 1996.
THE SLANG OF SIN
THE SLANG OF SIN

Tom Dalzell.
Published by Merriam-Webster / Springfield, Massachusetts. 1998.
ROGER'S PROFANISAURUS
ROGER'S PROFANISAURUS

Chris Donald.
Published by John Brown Publishing Limited / London. 1998.
NTC's DICTIONARY OF BRITISH SLANG AND COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSIONS
NTC's DICTIONARY OF BRITISH SLANG AND COLLOQUIAL EXPRESSIONS

Ewart James.
Published by NTC Publishing Group / Chicago. 1997.
THE COMPLETE PATTER
THE COMPLETE PATTER

Michael Munro.
Published by Canongate Books / Edinburgh. 1998.
THE BEST OF BRITISH (THE AMERICAN'S GUIDE TO SPEAKING BRITISH)
THE BEST OF BRITISH (THE AMERICAN'S GUIDE TO SPEAKING BRITISH)

Mike Etherington.
Published by Effingpot.com Productions. 1999.
MACQUARIE BOOK OF SLANG - AUSTRALIAN SLANG IN THE 90s

Edited by James Lambert
Published by Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. 1996.
THE F-WORD

Jesse Sheidlower
Published by Faber & Faber / London. 1999.
THE SLANGUAGE OF SEX

Brigid McConville / John Shearlaw.
Published by Macdonald / London. 1984.
THE MACMILLAN DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG

Robert L. Chapman.
Published by MacMillan / London. 1995.

THE MACMILLAN DICTIONARY OF SLANG

Jonathon Green.
Published by MacMillan / London. 1995.
THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF MODERN SLANG

John Ayto / John Simpson.
Published by Oxford University Press. 1992.
A DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN IDIOMS

Adam Makkai/ M.T. Boatner/ J.E. Gates.
Published by Barron's Educational Series. 2004.
THE OXFORD DICTIONARY OF MODERN SLANG

John Ayto.
Published by Oxford University Press. 1998.
DICTIONARY OF CURIOUS PHRASES

Leslie Dunkling.
Published by HarperCollinsPublishers / Glasgow. 1998.
DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN SLANG

Harold Wentworth / Stuart Berg Flexner.
Published by Thomas Y. Cromwell / New York. 1967.
SLANG AND EUPHEMISM

Richard A. Spears.
Published by Jonathan David Publishers, Inc. / New York. 1981.
I HEAR AMERICA TALKING

Stuart Berg Flexner.
Published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company / New York. 1976.
THE CITY IN SLANG

Irving Lewis Allen.
Published by Oxford University Press / New York. 1993.
A CONCISE DICTIONARY OF SLANG

B.A. Phythian.
Published by Hodder and Stoughton. 1996.
COCKNEY DIALECT AND SLANG

Peter Wright.
Published by B.T.Batsford / London. 1981.
THE LANKY TWANG

Peter Wright.
Published by The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd / N. Yorkshire. 1977.
THE YORKSHIRE DICTIONARY OF DIALECT, TRADITION AND FOLKLORE

Arnold Kellett.
Published by Smith Settle Ltd / W. Yorkshire. 1994.
PRISON SLANG

William K. Bentley / James M. Corbett.
Published by McFarland / Jefferson, N.Carolina. 1992.
BLACK SLANG

Clarence Major.
Published by Routledge and Kegan Paul / London. 1971.
BRITISH BLACK SLANG

David Sutcliffe.
Published by Basil Blackwell / Oxford. 1982.
LANGUAGE OF THE UNDERWORLD

David W. Maurer.
Published by The University Press of Kentucky / Kentucky. 1981.
A DICTIONARY OF EUPHEMISMS

R.W. Holder.
Published by Oxford University Press. 1995.
Slang Articles

A few essays on various slang and word topics, incl. rhyming slang, the full monty, Gordon Bennett and nadsat. Read more...

Slang Links

Other online slang dictionaries and resources worth a visit. Read more...

Suggest Slang

Submit words and phrases for inclusion, ask a question, or just contact the dictionary.

Introduction to Slang

A few words about slang, this website and what words are listed. Read more...

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