English SLANG Dictionary

ENGLISH SLANG DICTIONARY

    Eric Partridge made a deep and enduring contribution to the study and understanding of slang. In the eight editions of The Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English published between 1937 and 1984, Partridge recorded and defined the slang and unconventional English of Great Britain,

    His protocol for alphabetising was quirky. His dating was often problematic. His etymologies at times strayedfrom the plausible to the fanciful. His classification by register (slang, cant, jocular, vulgar, coarse, high, low, etc.) was intensely subjective and not particularly useful. Furthermore, his early decision to exclude American slang created increasingly difficult problems for him as the years passed and the influence of American slang grew. Lastly, Partridge grew to lose the ability to relate to the vocabulary he was recording. In 1937, Partridge was a man of his time, but the same could no longer be said in 1960.
There is a profound relationship between language and culture, and neither Partridge nor Paul Beale, editor of the 8th edition, seem to have assimilated the cultural changes that began at the end of World War 2. This left them without the cultural knowledge needed to understand the language that they were recording. Their lack of cultural understanding accelerated with time, and this is sadly reflected in the later entries. Beatniks and drug addicts, and their slang, baffled Partridge and Beale, who lacked either the personal experience or historical perspective needed to understand underlying countercultures.

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IDIOMS

American Idioms and How to Use it in Conversation Part I

A bag of wind

"I wonder why people say Howard is such an interesting man," Lily yawned. "To me he is nothing more than a big bag of wind." Lily is either very unkind or she is awfully honest because a bag of wind is someone who talks a lot. "Especially if he boasts and tells exaggerated stories that are hard to believe," Lily added.

A flight of fancy

"Do you know what it's called when someone dreams or imagines something highly unusual or imaginative ?" Felix asked Sylvester. "I believe that is called a flight of fancy," Sylvester answered. "Correct," Felix smiled, "and yesterday, in a flight of fancy, I imagined I could fly !" "What good is a flight of fancy if nothing becomes of it ?" Sylvester smiled. "Climb on board and dream no more !"

 

A big hand

Last night, Fiona was given a big hand at the end of her wonderful performance. Fiona was overjoyed, of course, for a big hand refers to loud and enthusiastic applause. The newspapers say that Fiona performed very well and received a big hand for her role in the play.

A closed book

"I am supposed to know just about everything," Professor Olson said, "so I can't let anyone know that I have just come across something that is a closed book to me." As it is used here, a closed book is something - a topic, a subject, an idea - you don't know anything about. "But I have to confess that physics is a closed book to me," the Professor said with a huge sigh.