Slang is language with its sleeves rolled up, colorful, pointed, brash, bristling with humor and sometimes with hostility. Now, in
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang
, John Ayto and John Simpson have gathered together a vibrant collection of over 6,000 slang terms, drawn from the vast
Oxford English Dictionary
database. The volume is organized thematically, under such general headings as the body and its functions; people and society; animals; sustenance and intoxication; money, commerce, and employment; and time and tide. Within each section the words are listed chronologically, starting with the earliest words and progressing right through to the present, thus illuminating the development of slang and colloquial language over the years. Each entry contains the headword, part of speech, and definition, and most also have illustrative examples of the term in context. Many entries contain labels indicating the social group or discipline from which a word derives--such as theatrical, military, or nautical--as well as the place where it originated. In addition, when the term has had more than one meaning, the various senses are listed chronologically.