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Crooked Talk: Five Hundred Years of the Language of Crime Hardcover – October 1, 2011

by Jonathon Green (Author)

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An acclaimed slang expert investigates the long and venerable history of the language of criminals, crooks, and con-men The vocabulary of crime has a long history, in fact the first dictionary of words specifically used by criminals, Hye-Way to the Spittel House, dates from as early as 1531. This survey looks at 500 years of crooks and conmen, from the hedge-creepers and counterfeit cranks of the 16th century to the blaggers and burners of the 21st. It also takes a substantial detour behind bars into the world of prisons, and, of course, the swag, the hideouts, the getaway vehicles, and allied "tools of the trade"—not forgetting the cops, peelers, fly cops, and all the other varieties of the boys in blue. Arranged thematically, the book shows where particular words came from, how they have evolved, and why they mean what they do. For anyone who has ever wondered when the police were first referred to as pigs (the 18th century), why prison guards became known as redraws ("warders" backwards), or what precisely the subtle art of dipology involves (pickpocketing), this book has all the answers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mr. Slang, aka Jonathon Green." —Martin Amis

"The most-acclaimed British lexicographer since Johnson has every right to blow off ("late 18th century: to boast, to brag". What did you think?) as he wraps up a new edition of this most mind-bendingly addictive guide to taboo talk." —Independent on Green's Dictionary of Slang

About the Author

Jonathon Green is a writer, a broadcaster, and an expert on slang. His Dictionary of Slang first appeared in 1998 to huge critical acclaim, and his definitive three-volume work was published by Oxford University Press in 2011. His many other works include The Big Book of Bodily Functions and The Big Book of Filth.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House UK (October 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 394 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1847946283
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1847946287
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,285,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,996 in Etymology (Books)
- #20,001 in Criminology (Books)
- #143,088 in Crime Thrillers (Books)

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4.1 3 ratings

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Jonathon Green

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Jonathon Green is Britain's foremost lexicographer of slang. His many publications include the Chambers Slang Dictionary, the Slang Thesaurus and Slang Down the Ages. He has also compiled dictionaries of quotations and oral histories of modern culture. His latest work is the multi-volume Green's Dictionary of Slang on Historical Principles.