That drive to coin words seems as biologically driven as many of the topics slang usually names. To the extent that everyday speech is boring, slang is meant to elevate discourse, not lower it."Īs for Jonathon Green, in the intro to his massive new dictionary, he writes, "I would call slang a 'counter-language,' the desire of human beings, when faced by a standard version, of whatever that might be, to come up with something different, perhaps parallel, perhaps oppositional."
it's not just that slang lowers dignity, but that dignity is under criticism in slang. Michael Adams - author of " Slang: The People's Poetry" - offers a complementary view: ". Good: 'Mass Transit:' A dance performance inspired by riding L.A.'s buses One of the most accepted definitions is "Historical Dictionary of American Slang" editor Jonathan Lighter's claim - "The aim and chief function of slang is to lower and disavow the dignity of discourse." It is fun." So is this dictionary.įolks have struggled to define slang for centuries. It is voyeuristic, amoral, libertarian, and libertine. Those terms range from the crude ("sweat bird turds," meaning "work hard") to the subtle ("give someone the mitten" - end a relationship) and everywhere in between.Īs Green says, slang is ".vibrant, creative, witty, and open to seemingly infinite re-invention. Slang" Green records and documents more than 100,000 words and idioms in an OED-like, quotation-packed historical dictionary. The publication of " Green's Dictionary of Slang" - a product of 17 years of work that make it the largest slang dictionary ever published in English - is a glorious event for anyone who loves words and likes to laugh.Ĭovering slang from the United States to England, New Zealand, and beyond, Jonathon "Mr. Nothing has ever floated the boats of my two obsessions more than a good Carlin DVD or book. I'm obsessed with both, which is why my favorite comedian is the late George Carlin - the funny man most obsessed with how we talk. ( Good.is) - By far, my greatest interests in life are words and humor.