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Books -> Quotations Dictionary
Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases, Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States
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by:
Bartlett, John Russell
Lederer, Richard
Lederer, Richard
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Publisher:
Wiley
Published: December 20, 2002
ISBN: 047122877X
Format:Hardcover
Pages:448
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Book Description
Review
This much-admired classic of American slang, authored by noted antiquarian and bibliographer Bartlett in 1848, has appeared in more incarnations over the years than Elvis; it was released in four increasingly enlarged editions by the original
author, translated into Dutch and German, and reprinted at least seven times. Most recently, it has been transcribed online at www.merrycoz. Org/BARTLETT.HTM. All this attention is certainly well deserved: this was, after all, the first dictionary of
American slang ever published, and it took ten years to compile. Long out of print, the original edition has been repackaged for introduction to a new generation of language buffs. It is graced with an entertaining new foreword by language and humor
author Richard Lederer that provides the needed historical context. The entries, which have been left intact, consist of definitions of a word or phrase and are often accompanied by a note or its region of origin and examples of its use. Skimming through
the volume provides an instructive and sometimes amusing look at the colloquial world of 19th-century America. Readers can learn the definitions of current words and metaphors (e.g., "hubby," "cleavage," and "blow over"), the regional origins of
still-current terms (e.g. "humble pie"), the popular names of native flora and fauna (e.g., "fool-ish"), and slang terms now lost to history (e.g., "absquatulate," "dubersome," and "abisselfa"). Although this slim volume cannot substitute for such
comprehensive works as Mitford McLeod Mathews's unabridged A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles or the venerable Oxford English Dictionary, both of which cite this and other titles by Bartlett, it is nevertheless recommended for
libraries that do not own the more comprehensive sources or want to supplement them. - Nadine Cohen-Baker, Univ. of Georgia Lib., Athens (Library Journal, May 15, 2003) "All this attention is certainly well deserved...recommended for libraries that do
not own the more comprehensive sources or want to supplement them". (Library Journal, May 15, 2003)
Product Description:
A rediscovered classic of American slang-now with a Foreword by bestselling language maven Richard Lederer, author of
Anguished English and The Miracle of Language
From abisselfa to yourn, John Russell Bartlett's groundbreaking Dictionary of Americanisms celebrated the language of a budding nation, whose rebellious declaration of independence was most evident
in its own evolving colloquialisms. Originally published in 1848, the Dictionary of Americanisms was the first lexicon to portray the entire tapestry of uniquely American expressions in one volume, from the New England coast to the Far West and
everything in between. The result is a window into everyday life and culture in a rapidly growing United States, with entries representing every region, linguistic heritage, and field of interest:
New England: funkify, plaguy sight,
kedge
The South: marooning, catawamptiously chawed up
New York: clockmutch, rullichies, soap-lock
The West: scrouger, prairie bitters, I dad!
Spanish: sangaree, chaparral, vamos
Native American
languages: netop, sagamore, supawn
Politics: slang-whanging, Dough-Faces, to row up Salt river
Business: wild cat bank, corner, Peter Funk
Filled with amusing anecdotes, editorial asides, and some surprisingly
modern slang, this facsimile of the book's first edition is a great rediscovery for a new generation of readers and a fascinating snapshot of life in the early decades of the United States of America.
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