The Thesaurus of Slang - Softcover

Lewin, Esther; Lewin, Albert E.

4.2

5 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0816036616 ISBN 13: 9780816036615

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 1997

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Includes jargon, sports slang, and ethnic and regional expressions

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Review:

After the dictionary and standard thesaurus, a slang thesaurus is probably the most important reference book for any writer or student to have readily accessible on the reference shelf, and most likely the one that isn't there. This edition, revised in 1994 and containing more than 165,000 uncensored contemporary slang terms, idioms, and colloquialisms, is the most comprehensive, up-to-date such tome available. Looking for an alternative to "comic?" Try "boffo, campy, flaky, for grins, loony, screwy, goofus, Mickey Mouse." Need a substitute for "good-looking?" It's handy to choose from a string of descriptives such as "stud muffin, wukka, beddy, triple burger with cheese, and dyno."

An idiom dictionary allows you to get the definition of an idiom, but what you want is a different but equally colorful synonymous phrase. No longer must you write such lousy, pukey, grody prose. Instead of reading like pablum, deadsville, dull as dishwater, your formerly cheesy, nowhere, gasser, downer, descriptions can be transformed into text that's killer, sensaysh, wiggy, and real gone. It'll make your teacher or editor yawp, holler, and beller like all get out, and just browsing reignites the joy of playing with language. --Stephanie Gold

From Booklist:

The 165,000 entries in the second edition of this thesaurus include 15,000 additions. The work retains the function and organization of the original edition published in 1988. Slang terms are arranged under the "formal English word . . . most likely to occur to the reader searching for a slang synonym" (e.g., chomp, dig in, munch, pig out, wolf down, nosh, and put away are among the many slang words listed under eat.) If there is no formal equivalent for the slang word (e.g., shark as slang for a sea lawyer), an entry is made under the slang term itself. A brief definition may be included when needed to clarify the meaning of an obscure slang term.

The largest number of new terms is found among the slang words relating to the drug culture. "There are more new terms for marijuana than in any other category: 98 new words amounting to a 46 percent increase." Drunk continues to be the largest single category with more than 800 slang terms, although the new entries in this category amounted to only 7 percent. Other categories showing a significant increase were sex, guns, and racial words and phrases, most of which are derogatory. A revised bibliography of sources used in compiling the thesaurus is included.

High school, public, and academic libraries that did not purchase the original edition should consider acquiring the newer version. Libraries owning the earlier edition may wish to replace it with the revised and expanded volume.

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