Argot

Attaboys, Gorgers, Night-Hawks and Widos, the street argot of the past is every bit as colourful and irreverent as todays hip hop and bling. Slang has always aroused strong opinions, but whether you agree with Alan Bennett that there is something suspect about those in the vanguard of slang or with John Galsworthy that it is vigorous and apt, this fascinating new compendium unveils a wealth of information about the fads and peccadilloes of bygone days. What does it say, for instance, about the English that they once had over 100 terms for gin, including Stark Naked, Stinkious, and Wind? Always inventive, frequently hilarious and occasionally utterly outrageous slang is an exuberant celebration of the comic possibilities of everyday life. From Monday Mice to Marriage Music, Wiffle-Woffles to Bummaree, dip into the pages of Bingo Boys and Poodle-Fakers and discover the rough and rumbustious delights of Shakespeare's man of fire-new words, fashions own knight: the ever-changing underworld of the English language.117p. illus. decorated endpapers Book