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Review
There is a great deal in 'Stone the Crows' that will amuse and intrigue browsers. (Henry Hitchings, Times Literary Supplement )
Product Description
Drawing on the unique resources of the Oxford English Dictionary and offering coverage of over 6,000 slang words and expressions from the Cockney 'abaht' to the American term 'zowie', this is the most authoritative dictionary of slang from the 20th and 21st centuries. Stone the Crows: Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang is a fascinating and entertaining collection, packed with illustrative quotations and providing full details of origins and dates of first printed use. The text contains expressions from around the English-speaking world such as 'dork' and 'cockamamie' (North America) and 'giggle-house' and 'Jimmy Woodser' (Australia). As well as the A-Z listing of terms, the book contains a comprehensive thematic index, enabling users to home in on particular areas of interest, such as the body, food and drink, and human behaviour. Full of surprises, Stone the Crows is an essential read for word lovers and anyone with an interest in language.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I view this dictionary as complementary to the Oxford Dictionary of Slang and to the Chambers Slang Dictionary. It is less comprehensive than these, but does give a useful background to the expressions that it contains. It is much more restrained than the Chambers and as with Chambers there is not any English to Slang index, a good point about the Oxford Dictionary of Slang. It is useful in giving an explanation of many common slang expressions, but the more curious minded or less prudish may well be disappointed.The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang (Oxford Paperback Reference)
Format:Paperback
There's no end to the `mind-blowing' power of Modern Slang. As a mouse is electronically wired to a laptop so too will this dictionary become an intravenous drip to a writer. Hey ho, writers and authors ...
When Modern Slang arrived at iHubbub HQ to be reviewed it should have duly been stacked at the bottom of my review pile, but something about the cover (maybe the wedge of cheese) made me flick through it before jamming it under at least 17 others.
And before I knew it, I was in writers' wonderland!
At first flicking through and then avidly fixated with each page. If dinner, partners, kids and life in general didn't get in the way, an aspiring writer, and indeed any well-tuned author, could get lost in this book only to reappear when they've chewed through every word.
Character Labels
Not only can you find modern ways with dialogue, but you can create sparkling `labels' for your characters. Have a good nose through the thematic section, it's like bottled inspiration!
Don't give a boring account of a man with no hair. Bald is out. Slaphead is in - especially if you want him to be a ruffian or dodgy character. For example, when describing your suspect ... let's call him Mike ... why write `Mike was bald' when you could scribe `a slaphead in a three piece suit'. Why give another character `big eyes' when they can have `lamps' ... or they may have `peepers' for that matter.
Your teens or young guns wouldn't say `this room stinks' more likely they would grunt out a `this joint is minging'. If you had to kill off a character for whatever reason why would they be `dead' when they could be `pushing up daisies'?
iHubbub Quote:
"Every writer should devour this dialogue treasure trove to ensure their characters' dialogue is packed with human oomph. A writer's addiction!" iHubbub
You can read the full review on iHubbub - this book is excellent for helping aspiring writers to create excellent and very human dialogue for their ficional characters!
When Modern Slang arrived at iHubbub HQ to be reviewed it should have duly been stacked at the bottom of my review pile, but something about the cover (maybe the wedge of cheese) made me flick through it before jamming it under at least 17 others.
And before I knew it, I was in writers' wonderland!
At first flicking through and then avidly fixated with each page. If dinner, partners, kids and life in general didn't get in the way, an aspiring writer, and indeed any well-tuned author, could get lost in this book only to reappear when they've chewed through every word.
Character Labels
Not only can you find modern ways with dialogue, but you can create sparkling `labels' for your characters. Have a good nose through the thematic section, it's like bottled inspiration!
Don't give a boring account of a man with no hair. Bald is out. Slaphead is in - especially if you want him to be a ruffian or dodgy character. For example, when describing your suspect ... let's call him Mike ... why write `Mike was bald' when you could scribe `a slaphead in a three piece suit'. Why give another character `big eyes' when they can have `lamps' ... or they may have `peepers' for that matter.
Your teens or young guns wouldn't say `this room stinks' more likely they would grunt out a `this joint is minging'. If you had to kill off a character for whatever reason why would they be `dead' when they could be `pushing up daisies'?
iHubbub Quote:
"Every writer should devour this dialogue treasure trove to ensure their characters' dialogue is packed with human oomph. A writer's addiction!" iHubbub
You can read the full review on iHubbub - this book is excellent for helping aspiring writers to create excellent and very human dialogue for their ficional characters!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Oxford Dictionary of not-so-modern Slang
18 Feb 2004
Format:Paperback
I purchased this book with the hopes of improving the dialog of contemporary characters in my writing. Unfortunately, most of the slang words included in this book is not very 'modern' and seem to come from the 20's-60's and earlier. This would be fine if you are writing a story about gangsters, gun molls or flower children.
Unfortunately, I really don't see my characters using words like 'far-out,' 'drongo,' or 'face-fungus.'
Overall, a disappointing purchase. Perhaps useful if you are writing historic fiction.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Time to look up "Modern"
31 Jan 2005
Format:Paperback
In reference to LadyNaava's complaint that this volume doesn't actually contain current or recent slang. I fear that's impossible. At least for a bound reference. In the time it takes to print a book, let alone compile a dictionary, current slang changes, changes back, disappears and is replaced.
That said, the warning that this volume may not be up to date with many of the better "regular" dictionaries (which have recently added Homer's D'oh! after only twenty years) is appreciated.
That said, the warning that this volume may not be up to date with many of the better "regular" dictionaries (which have recently added Homer's D'oh! after only twenty years) is appreciated.
1 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Not true to description!
21 Feb 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Beware: contrary to the item description above, this volume is not organized thematically; it does not contain any section.
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