The Slang of Sin - Hardcover

Tom Dalzell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0877793565 ISBN 13: 9780877793564

Publisher: Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Merriam Webster, 1998

Synopsis

Book by Dalzell, Tom

About this title

Review:

"Sin in all of its manifestations," writes Tom Dalzell in his introduction to The Slang of Sin, "excites linguistic creativity." And so it does. Dalzell seems to have infiltrated all variety of subcultures to assemble this dazzling collection of sinful slang. And with Dalzell's help, you, too, can talk body piercing (poking holes), the numbers racket (the Kentucky lottery), safecracking (knocking a peter), drug dealing (layin' down the hustle), and prison sex (jailhouse rock) with the best of 'em. Dalzell defines sin as those activities that "have been at times considered by society to be vices." So alongside red chicken (heroin), plumbing the bones (loading the dice), and woodsman (a male porn star who reliably achieves and maintains erection until the appropriate moment) in this language guide are a lady's friend (contraception), housewives special (daytime bingo), and night nurse (a cigarette smoked in the middle of the night). --Jane Steinberg

About this edition

• Publisher: Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Merriam Webster
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0877793565
• ISBN 13: 9780877793564
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 385