1 copy being processed for Axe Acquisitions Order.
Edition
First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
Description
388 pages : illustration ; 24 cm
text txt rdacontent
unmediated n rdamedia
volume nc rdacarrier
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-357) and index.
Summary
Décharné traces the colorful history of slang, from Elizabethan highwaymen to the rap and hip-hop of today. He shows how meanings change over years; introduces us to flying aces, pickpockets, and carnival geeks who have left their impression on our language; and shows how slang leaks into the mainstream to infuse language with vitality.
Contents
The mark of a decadent mind -- Vagabond speech and rogue's Latin -- The beast with two backs -- The oldest profession -- This bag of bones -- Polari missiles -- Here's to crime -- Tails you booze -- High as a kite -- Dig that sound -- It takes a record company with millions to push us forward -- Burn baby burn -- Uniform patterns of speech -- The last word.
