The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English

“The charms of The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English bring to mind a younger brother with troubled friends who has memorized long stretches of dialogue from movies starring stoners or mobsters.” — The Nation, December 2008

Praise for The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, edited by Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor:

‘This dictionary informs, but it also entertains.’ Booklist

‘This dictionary is huge fun.’ The Times Literary Supplement

‘…no term is excluded because it might be considered offensive as a racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, or any kind of slur…’ Against the Grain

‘…the editors have succeeded in … observing high standards of lexicography while producing an accessible work.’ Choice

‘…you can dip in just about anywhere and enjoy the exuberant, endless display of human inventiveness with language.’ BOOKFORUM

‘Modern American Slang is an unbeatable bargain, soundly academic, and a really useful reference work for all libraries, all linguistics, all sociologists, and all press rooms.’ – Reference Reviews

‘To quote Paul Dickson (author of The Dickson Baseball Dictionary) “…a five-alarm, slam-dunk, grand-slam home run of a book”. – Reference Reviews

‘The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English, an impressive entry into the field of slang documentation, defies the difficulty of corralling this massive subset of English … humor, mischief, and energy shine in this book.’ – Bill Reagan, PopMatters

‘Modern American Slang is an unbeatable bargain, soundly academic, and a really useful reference work for all libraries, all linguistis, all sociologists, and all press rooms. To quote Paul Dickson (author of the Dickson Baseball Dictionary) ‘… a five-alarm, slam-dunk, grand-slam home run of a book.’ – H.G.A Hughes, Reference Reviews

Tom Dalzell is recognized as a leading expert on American slang. He is the author of Flappers to Rappers: American Youth Slang (Merriam-Webster, 1996) and The Slang of Sin (Merriam-Webster, 1998), both of which were alternate selections for the Book of the Month Club. He served as senior editor of The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Conventional English (Routledge, 2006). He lives in Berkeley, California, with his family.