The Cassell Dictionary of Slang

All types of slang terms and expressions are included: criminal jargon, the language of sex, drink and drugs, slang associated with different ways of life, insults, swear words and expletives, rhyming slang and back slang. They are drawn from a vast range of sources, oral and written, and from all parts of the English-speaking world, from London to the Bronx and from Australia to South Africa. In every case, Jonathon Green painstakingly supplies a wealth of annotation and background detail. He explains precisely what each slang word or phrase means, where it originated, when it was first coined and whether it is still in use. He draws the reader's attention to comparable words and expressions. And, wherever possible, he traces the often tortuous routes by which slang words evolved and then either became common currency or faded away.