Overview

A lively, authoritative, and up-to-date look at the world of rhyming slang, from its origins in London's 19th-century underworld to the buzzwords of 21st-century popney. Arranged by topic, including Crime, Food and Drink, Illness, Money, Sex, and Sport, this highly readable collection is at once an informative source to the story behind some of our most lively expressions and a browser's delight.

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9780198607519

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Review from previous edition An exemplary piece of editing ... Ayto's book is the best and most entertaining so far The Spectator Covers virtually every aspect of the human condition Evening Standard

Rhyming slang has gained a cliched reputation in recent years, but there is no doubt that this curious linguistic phenomenon is of interest to many of us, and its origins have as much etymological interest as the more sober passages in Oxford's more sober dictionaries. The layout here is by subject: the 27 subjects covered include sex, food and drink, the animal world and apparel, as full of often witty synonyms (how about the classical allusion of 'Oedipus Rex' for sexual intercourse? 'Trolley and Truck' is another entry that doesn't need too much working out). But, because this isn't a book like Ronnie Barker's compilations of cockney rhyming slang that simply goes for the laugh, there is often a genuine scholarship to be found in the definitions. 'Fields of wheat' for 'street' for instance, is noted as a piece of irony: congested city streets could not be further removed from waving fields of wheat. All 150 years of rhyming slang (yes, the dictionary is that time-specific) are covered, right up to the usages that are still being coined today. So if you prefer to call a road a 'frog and toad' (much rhyming slang takes more time to say than the word it replaces), or refer to your bride as your 'fat and wide' (rhyming slang is rarely flattering!), then this is the lexicon for you. John Ayto's approach is never po-faced (how could it be with this subject?) and his knowledge is worn lightly. So get off your bottle and glass, and have yourself a good cow and calf with this diverting book. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

John Ayto is an experienced lexicographer, and author of many books on the English language, including the acclaimed Twentieth Century Words (Oxford, 1999), which was reviewed as 'An absolutely terrific book . . . thoroughly addictive and full of surprises'. His previous books for OUP include the Oxford Dictionary of Slang and The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang.

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