Written originally for the education of the polite London classes
in 'canting' - the language of thieves and ruffians - should they
be so unlucky as to wander into the 'wrong' parts of town, A New
Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew by
'B.E. Gent' is the first work dedicated solely to the subject of
slang words and their meanings. It is also the first text which
attempts to show the overlap and integration between canting words
and common slang. In its refusal to distinguish between criminal
vocabulary and the more ordinary everyday English of the period, it
sets canting words side by side with terms used by sailors,
labourers, and those in the common currency of domestic culture.
With an introduction by John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford
English Dictionary, describing the history and culture of canting
in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as the
evolution of English slang, this is a fascinating volume for anyone
with a curiosity about language, or wishing to reintroduce
'Dandyprat' or 'Fizzle' into their everyday conversation. Anglers,
c Cheats, petty Thievs, who have a Stick with a hook at the end,
with which they pluck things out of Windows, Grates, &c. also
those that draw in People to be cheated. Dandyprat, a little puny
Fellow. Grumbletonians, Malecontents, out of Humour with the
Government, for want of a Place, or having lost one. Strum, c. a
Periwig. Rum-Strum, c. a long Wig; also a handsom Wench, or
Strumpet.
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