The Slang of Sin

by Tom Dalzell

Book Overview

Lists and defines the terminology used in association with such vices as drinking, sex, drugs, and gambling. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0877796270
• ISBN13: 9780877796275
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Merriam-Webster
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Dirty book for dirty minds. You got a problem with that?

Ah, sin. The lure of the forbidden, the rush of doing something your mommy told you not to do... "The worst thing about Sunday morning is finding out what you did Saturday night."The only problem with this book is that to do justice to a subject like this you'd need something much bigger.Broken down by the Seven Deadlies, profusely illustrated by Istvan Banyai's (to put it charitably) weird art, this book tells you way more than you really need to know about the slang of various underworlds -- criminal, sexual, monetary, and otherwise. From the brain-dead psychedelic drug slang of the 60s to the leaden patter of astrology to the loopy rhyming slang of poker players who've played one too many rounds of Texas Hold'em that evening, from street gangs to biker gangs, from the fictional street toughs of the books of Damon Runyon to the real-life craps pits of old Alabama and modern Las Vegas, it's hard to say this book has them all, but it's got a damn fine sampling. Even prison slang, AA, and the Salvation Army are here. The book talks about historical slang too, going into origins of current slang and the cant of past subcultures. It's not a dry lexicon of slang either; slang is intimately bound up in its context, and the author tries to give the reader a feel for that world: the God's Army mentality of the "Sally", the high-school exuberance of one specific Canadian cribbage club, the startling matter-of-factness of the porn industry contrasted sharply with the opaqueness of its jargon. Sidebars abound, and the type is a bit narrow, combining with Banyai's cartoons to make a somewhat odd reading experience, but it's still an interesting enough book to grab your attention.We live in a culture that is slowly becoming more open, and sorting out one's comfort zone has become an everyone-for-themselves proposition. This book will at least shine some light into those darker areas, and give you a giggle or eight in the process.

Greatest Book EVER!!

This book was the greatest book EVER written. I was sent this book by the author himself, and I was blown away!! I was especially impressed by the extensive Cribbage section, as well as the insert on Cribbage Inc... BUY THIS BOOK..... NOW!!

Great idea; well executed

As a fiction writer, there is never such a thing for me as learning too many things. Especially when it has to do with life around us. So, "The Slang of Sin" makes a great reference book for me as a writer, as well as an entertaining read. Filled to the brim with countless tidbits of information and synonyms, this book shows the results of two authors who have done their homework. Plus, it's attractively designed in easy-to-follow magazine style. Witty cartoons and illustrations by Istvan Banyai, appropriate for each chapter, are another plus.One complaint: too often the authors get carried away with their facetiousness. It's not a big problem, nor a pervasive one, but uppity, smart-alec comments such as "get's right to the point, doesn't it!" are distracting and annoying.Still, this is a subject rarely covered, and this book does it well.