With more than 15,000 definitions, this book provides a definitive guide to the use of slang today. It deals with drugs, sport and contemporary society, as well as favourite slang topics, such as sex and bodily functions. In this convenient paperback edition of the highly acclaimed "Dictionary of Contemporary Slang", language and culture expert Tony Thorne explores the ever-changing underworld of the English language, bringing back intriguing examples of eccentricity and irreverence from the linguistic front-line. 'Thorne is a kind of slang detective, going down the streets where other lexicographers fear to tread' - "Daily Telegraph".

From A to Z:

Aim archie at the armitage brownie hound cassava dingleberries el ropo four-by-two get Chinese have the painters in idiot dancing jam sandwich kangaroo it lip service meathooks necktie party Ozzie and Harriet pearl diver quiche out rough end of the pineapple surfboard tray-bits under velcrohead write one's name on the lawn x-rated yodel in the canyon zippersniffer.

There is a linguistic riot going on the English-speaking world over, in the form of energetic, informal speech, extraordinary for its wit, quirkiness, and biting satire. The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, the most comprehensive guide to slang, gathers more than 5,000 colloquialisms, puns, similes, metaphors, and double entendres - from sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll; to fads, fashion, and cults; to taboos, obscenities, and euphemisms - that have enriched our language for the past forty years. Most entries have multiple definitions that are enlivened by examples of usage.