Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers: A Decade-By-Decade Guide to the Vanishing Vocabulary of the Twentieth Century

by Rosemarie Ostler

Book Overview

Ever encountered a blatherskite? How about a darb? When was the last time you got the straight skinny at a rap session or told someone to keep on truckin'? How many once-popular American words aren't you using these days? Quite a few, if you're like most people.
Thousands of words and expressions entered American English between 1900 and 1999. Every era from the "Roaring Twenties" to the "Me Decade" brought its own fads and trends and the language...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195161467
• ISBN13: 9780195161465
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 9.4" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource for writers

I got this book as a writing reference, and it hasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed reading it through the first time (so much great history!), and now it remains a handy resource. A must for any fiction writer.

The Vocabulary of The Past -- or Where that Strange Phrase Comes From

Oddly enough I also bought this book as a gift. I must be cheap though because I picked it up as a remaindered book for $1.00 (In all fairness it wasn't my only gift) I picked it up for my mother, who is now into her early 70s and has been reading more and more about events from the 30s and 40s. However, I started reading the book first, and I must say I was impressed by the detail that was present -- especially the sections on the earlier decades, the turn of the century, the 20s and the 30s. Some of those words still reside with us still, either in period literature, or as somewhat dated catchphrases -- and bits like the origin of "23 skidoo" were quite interesting. The book does falter in the slang of the 80s and 90s, since its a bit too close in time for that to be "nostalgia" A good book for anyone wishing to relive a time period, get a quick life snapshot of a certain decade, creating appropriate period dialog or scenarios, or even looking up an obscure catchphrase.

It's the Bee's Knees, all you Sheiks and Shebas!

I bought this book as a present for someone whose interests lay in cultural history, a topic which lacks good reading material. When it arrived, I started to read it to get a feel for the quality of the book. From a cultural history point of view, its priceless. The writer provides an extensive historical backdrop to place the language in, creating a vivid portrayal of life in that time. I was very much impressed with the amount of work she did on vocabulary between 1900 and 1919, an area which tends to be neglected in books on cultural history. Any reader of this book will find themselves reading aloud to other people in the room (whether they like it or not), laughing at the anecdotes behind the words, and often times whispering "wow" as you discover something fascinating. The only thing I'd caution against is not buying the book for the chapter on the 90's. Though she does do a respectable job, we are too close to that decade to have a full appreciation of the contribution to our vocabulary. However, I would say this book is a must for anyone with an interest in cultural history. You can't be disappointed.

Entertaining and great for writers!

I picked this book up for fun, but halfway through it realized that it would give a lot of authenticity to my writing, especially dialog. (I am an aspiring writer.) I didn't enjoy it any less after figuring that out -- if anything, I enjoyed it more! It's very readable, not at all like a dictionary. It's more like a popular history.I am planning on using this with my fifth-graders and asking them to pick a chapter and write dialog based on the words from one decade. I'm also planning on ordering a couple as Christmas presents!