Synopses & Reviews
An acclaimed slang expert investigates the long and venerable history of the language of criminals, crooks, and con-men The vocabulary of crime has a long history, in fact the first dictionary of words specifically used by criminals, Hye-Way to the Spittel House, dates from as early as 1531. This survey looks at 500 years of crooks and conmen, from the hedge-creepers and counterfeit cranks of the 16th century to the blaggers and burners of the 21st. It also takes a substantial detour behind bars into the world of prisons, and, of course, the swag, the hideouts, the getaway vehicles, and allied "tools of the trade"—not forgetting the cops, peelers, fly cops, and all the other varieties of the boys in blue. Arranged thematically, the book shows where particular words came from, how they have evolved, and why they mean what they do. For anyone who has ever wondered when the police were first referred to as pigs (the 18th century), why prison guards became known as redraws ("warders" backwards), or what precisely the subtle art of dipology involves (pickpocketing), this book has all the answers.
Review
"Mr. Slang, aka Jonathon Green." —Martin Amis
Synopsis
The language of crime has a long and venerable history - in fact, the first collection of words specifically used by criminals, Hye-Way to the Spittel House, dates from as early as 1531. Jonathon Green is our national expert on slang, and in Crooked Talk he looks at five hundred years of crooks and conmen - from the hedge-creepers and counterfeit cranks of the sixteenth century to the blaggers and burners of the twenty-first - as well as the swag, the hideouts, the getaway vehicles and the 'tools of the trade'. Not to mention a substantial detour into the world of prisons that faced those unlucky enough to be caught by the boys in blue.
If you have ever wondered when the police were first referred to as pigs, why prison guards became known as redraws, or what precisely the subtle art of dipology involves, then this book has all the answers.
About the Author
Jonathon Green is a writer, a broadcaster, and an expert on slang. His Dictionary of Slang first appeared in 1998 to huge critical acclaim, and his definitive three-volume work was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. His many other works include The Big Book of Bodily Functions and The Big Book of Filth.