Synopses & Reviews
For the 411 on American slang, this guidebook is the top banana From "head trip" to "foot in mouth," American Slang Dictionary gives you the complete definitions of thousands of uniquely American words and phrases, ranging from golden oldies such as "catch some rays" and "take the fifth" to more up-to-the-minute coinages like Wall Street's "jonx," the Internet's "ping," and the gangsta's favorite, "shizzle."
Inside you'll find more than 12,000 words and expressions from a wide variety of sources, including gangsta rap, the blogosphere, and the U.S. prison system. In a New York minute, you'll be down with the colloquialisms, vulgarities, and substandard English that make everyday interactions in contemporary American life so colorful.
BSOD or blue screen of death the blue computer screen that appears after a programming or operational error
crunk wild; crazy; out of control
kvetch to complain
left-handed monkey wrench a nonexistent tool
word of mouse a message spread by e-mail
Synopsis
Learn the lingo of American EnglishThe American Slang Dictionary offers you the complete definitions of more than 12,000 slang and informal expressions from various sources, ranging from golden oldie to ping. Each entry is followed by examples illustrating how an expression is used in everyday conversation. Where necessary, International Phonetic Alphabet pronunciations are given, as well as cautionary notes for crude, inflammatory, or taboo expressions.
About the Author
Richard A. Spears, Ph.D., is a former reference editor and linguistics professor at Northwestern University. He has written more than 150 dictionaries.
Table of Contents
How to Use This Dictionary
Introduction Terms, Symbols, and Abbreviations
Pronunication Guide Dictionary
Index of Hidden Key Words Thematic Index