Currently Director of the English Language Centre at King's College, London, Tony Thorne is an authority on language and culture, on which he has written and broadcast widely.

With more than 7,000 definitions, this book provides a definitive guide to the use of slang today. It deals with drugs, sport and contemporary society, as well as favourite slang topics such as sex and bodily functions. In this convenient paperback edition of the highly acclaimed Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, language and culture expert Tony Thorne explores the ever-changing underworld of the English language, bringing back intriguing examples of eccentricity and irreverence from the linguistic front-line.

"Thorne is a kind of slang detective, going down the streets where other lexicographers fear to tread." Daily Telegraph

"Thorne is a kind of slang detective, going down the streets where other lexicographers fear to tread."

"As up-to-date a dictionary of 'strikingly informal' contemporary language as you are likely to find."

With a quick flip of these pages, freshi readers can avoid looking like clunks, and figure out if they should be pleased or insulted if told they're wearing a severe shirt. Scholars may find Thorne's 11-page preliminary discussion of the purpose and function of slang intriguing, and browsers can flip through the pages, stopping when a boldface word or boxed comment catches their eye. The definitions are clear and lively and the word usage itself is often quite humorous. VERDICT:This book will attract readers who want to seem hep rather than hilljack with their nabes and BFFs. Most suitable for college libraries, or public libraries in large urban areas.

With more than 7,000 definitions, this book provides a guide to the use of slang today. It deals with drugs, sport and contemporary society, as well as favourite slang topics such as sex and bodily functions.