An Introduction to The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English

Welcome to The Slang Blog – a blog devoted to the words we don’t share with everyone. This is our place to celebrate (or otherwise) the joys of slang and unconventional English around the world.

The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English is named for one of the greatest philologists and lexicographers in living memory, Eric Partridge. His legacy is the beginning of our vocabulary, recorded with a unique spirit and personality. When Tom Dalzell and I were approached by Routledge we were more in awe of the giant shoulder we clambered on than the five years and more it would take to prepare our dictionary.

I was just browsing through The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English – in the shops November 5th, hotly pursued by Sex Slang and Vice Slang which will have bookshelves groaning in time for Christmas – when, on page 458, I tripped over my favourite slang word of all time: nincompoop. Now it’s used with an amused disdain to name a fool; back in the day, the late eighteenth century to be a little more precise, it was defined as ‘one who never saw his wife’s ****’ (the asterisks are in the original – I’m less likely to beat about the bush).

So, here we are, looking forward to your contributions – with or without asterisks. As dictionary makers we do not censor, we record what’s out there. Let us know.

Terry Victor, Editor, etc.

Note from Routledge: You can find the afformentioned titles by clicking on the direct hyperlinks or at www.routledge.com. Questions or comments may be directed to languages@routledge.com.