Ebook: The vulgar tongue: Green's history of slang

"The Vulgar Tongue tells the full story of English language slang, from its origins in early British beggar books to its spread in American and Australian culture in the eighteenth century"--;Preface -- 1. Introduction: Slang: A User's Manual -- 2. In the Beginning: The Pre-history -- 3. Lewd, Lousey Language: Beggars and Their Books -- 4. Crime and Punishment: The Vocabulary of Villainy -- 5. Play's the Thing: The Stage and the Song -- 6. The Sound of the City: No City, No Slang -- 7. Flash: This Sporting Life -- 8. Down Under: Larrikin Lingo -- 9. Sex in the City: The Agreeable Ruts of Life -- 10. Cockney Sparrers: Mean Streets and Music Halls -- 11. America: Pioneers -- 12. Keeping Score: Nineteenth-century Slang Lexicography -- 13. Gayspeak: The Lavendar Lexicon -- 14. American Century: The Slang Capital of the World -- 15. African-American Slang: The Flesh Made Word -- 16. Campus and Counter-Culture: Teenage Skills -- 17. War: One Thing It's Good For -- 18. Conclusion: As It Was in the Beginning -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgements -- Index.