A Dictionary of the Underworld

First published in 1949 (this edition in 1968), this book is a dictionary of the past, exploring the language of the criminal and near-criminal worlds. It includes entries from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, as well as from Britain and America and offers a fascinating and unique study of language. The book provides an invaluable insight into social history, with the British vocabulary dating back to the 16th century and the American to the late 18th century. Each entry comes complete with the approximate date of origin, the etymology for each word, and a note of the milieu in which the expression arose.

Eric Partridge

Part 1 A DICTIONARY OF THE UNDERWORLD; Chapter 1 A; Chapter 2 B; Chapter 3 C; Chapter 4 D; Chapter 5 E; Chapter 6 F; Chapter 7 G; Chapter 8 H; Chapter 9 I; Chapter 10 J; Chapter 11 K; Chapter 12 L; Chapter 13 M; Chapter 14 N; Chapter 15 O; Chapter 16 P; Chapter 17 Q; Chapter 18 R; Chapter 19 S; Chapter 20 T; Chapter 21 U; Chapter 22 V; Chapter 23 W; Chapter 24 X; Chapter 25 Y; Chapter 26 Z; Part 2 ADDENDA; Chapter 27 A; Chapter 28 B; Chapter 29 C; Chapter 30 D; Chapter 31 E; Chapter 32 F; Chapter 33 G; Chapter 34 H; Chapter 35 I; Chapter 36 J; Chapter 37 K; Chapter 38 L; Chapter 39 M; Chapter 40 N; Chapter 41 O; Chapter 42 P; Chapter 43 Q; Chapter 44 R; Chapter 45 S; Chapter 46 T; Chapter 47 U; Chapter 48 V; Chapter 49 W; Chapter 50 X; Chapter 51 Y; Chapter 52 Z;