The First English Dictionary of Slang 1699 - Hardcover

Simpson, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1851243488 ISBN 13: 9781851243488

Publisher: The Bodleian Library, 2010

Synopsis

Written originally for the education of the polite London classes in `canting' - the language of thieves and ruffians - should they be so unlucky as to wander into the `wrong' parts of town, A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew by `B.E. Gent' is the first work dedicated solely to the subject of slang words and their meanings. It is also the first text which attempts to show the overlap and integration between canting words and common slang. In its refusal to distinguish between criminal vocabulary and the more ordinary everyday English of the period, it sets canting words side by side with terms used by sailors, labourers, and those in the common currency of domestic culture. With an introduction by John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, describing the history and culture of canting in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as the evolution of English slang, this is a fascinating volume for anyone with a curiosity about language, or wishing to reintroduce `Dandyprat' or `Fizzle' into their everyday conversation. Anglers, c Cheats, petty Thievs, who have a Stick with a hook at the end, with which they pluck things out of Windows, Grates, &c. also those that draw in People to be cheated. Dandyprat, a little puny Fellow. Grumbletonians, Malecontents, out of Humour with the Government, for want of a Place, or having lost one. Strum, c. a Periwig. Rum-Strum, c. a long Wig; also a handsom Wench, or Strumpet.

About this title

Review

 "An invaluable guide to the argot of seventeenth-century low London."—Peter Ackroyd --Peter Ackroyd

"An invaluable guide to the argot of seventeenth-century low London."--Peter Ackroyd

"A fascinating insight into a bygone linguistic age."--David Crystal

Gent began the literate taste for slang that continues today.
--Jeremy Noel-Tod "Telegraph ""

A brilliant Christmas stocking-filler for any lover of language or social history.
--Jen Newby "Family History Monthly ""

Opening it at random, one is plunged back into late 17th-century London, specifically the criminal underworld of narrow streets, ale-houses, and brothels, of sheds crammed with stolen goods, stinking debtor s prisons, and public hangings.
--Jenny Lunnon "Oxford Times ""

The continuing value of this compilation is not just its historical interest, but the insight that it gives into the urban life of the period.
--Michael Quinion "World Wide Words ""

Everyone needs a good dictionary in the loo, and this could be it.
--Marcus Berkmann "Spectator ""

"Gent began the literate taste for slang that continues today."
--Jeremy Noel-Tod "Telegraph "

"A brilliant Christmas stocking-filler for any lover of language or social history."
--Jen Newby "Family History Monthly "

About the Author

John Simpson is Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. He edited (with Edmund Weiner) the Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, published to great acclaim in 1989. Together with John Ayno, he is also co-editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Slang. He is a world expert on proverbs and slang, has edited dictionaries and regularly lectures and broadcasts on the English language

Edition details

• Publisher: The Bodleian Library
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1851243488
• ISBN 13: 9781851243488
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224