The Random House Thesaurus of Slang

449 Pages·2007·10.44 MB·English

RANDOM
HOUSE
THESAURUS OF
ESTHER LEWIN
AND ALBERT E. LEWIN
150,000 UNCENSORED
SLANG TERMS
THE RANDOM HOUSE THESAURUS OF SLANG
A BOOK FOR WRITERS AND FOR WORD BUFFS
• More than 12,000 standard English words
• Over 150,000 slang and argot synonyms, phrases,
and idioms
• Each main entry identified with part-of-speech label
• Entries cross-referenced to enhance usefulness
"A delightful book... Browsing through the Lewins'
thesaurus is like eating peanuts. It's not easy to stop after
a few entries. A universal human experience involves
going to the John, rest room, library, facilities, amenities,
comfort station, sandbox, biff y, bippy, chamber of
commerce, gazoo, the Andy Qump and the old soldiers'
home... a joy for the word lover." — James Kilpatrick
"Slang made respectable: Some word lovers will take
offense, and others will peruse the Thesaurus of Slang
with glee." —The Editorial Eye
"a source for finding words and phrases that often express
concepts more vividly than formal language." —Booklist
"The working writer.. .will find this book useful when
writing informally. It will also appeal to word buffs and
other browsers." — Stephen H. Cape, Library Journal
9 780679"727002
ISBN D-hTI-TS
THE
RANDOM
HOUSE
THESAURUS
OF
SLANQ

RANDOM
HOUSE
THESAURUS
O F
S L A NQ
Esther Lewin and Albert E* Lewin
150,000 uncensored contemporary
slang terms, common idioms, and
colloquialisms arranged for quick
and easy reference
RANDOM HOUSE • NEW YORK
To Talia and Ian
and in memory of
dear Natalie
Copyright © 1988 by Esther and Albert E. Lewin
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of
this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should
be addressed to Reference Department, Random House, Inc., 201 East 50th Street, New York,
N.Y. 10022. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York.
This edition published by arrangement with Facts on File, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lewin, Esther.
The Random House thesaurus of slang.
Reprint. Originally published: The thesaurus of slang.
New York, N.Y.: Facts on File Publications, © 1988.
Bibliography: p.
1. English language — Slang — Dictionaries. 2. English language — Synonyms and antonyms
— Dictionaries.
I. Lewin, Albert E. II. Title.
PE3721.L45 1989 427'.003 89-10254
ISBN O-679-727OO-O
Manufactured in the United States of America
23456789
Preface
The Random House Thesaurus of Slang is made up of 12,000 term is not easily translated into standard English, the slang
English words listed alphabetically; each is followed by one itself is listed at the subject heading. Such a case is blind
or more of the 150,000 slang words or phrases contained in date.
this volume. That simple arrangement is what makes this The slang in this collection is based on actual usage culled
book a useful tool for writers, speakers, students of language from a wide variety of sources, such as newspapers, maga-
and anyone else who might need a quick and easy source of zines, fiction and nonfiction books, television, radio, trade
slang. papers, industry, casual conversation. For the most part, the
It has been said that a thesaurus is a book in which you slang terms in this thesaurus are in current general usage;
look up the wrong word in order to find the right one. That however, the reader will also find many of the most recent
definition fits this book perfectly. As a thesaurus, it offers a words appearing particularly in the language of young peo-
convenient translation from standard English to its slang ple, technical workers and politicians. In these pages, most
equivalent. It is by no means a slang dictionary, nor is it readers will discover unfamiliar words and phrases, as well as
meant to be. Using this thesaurus, all or part of a formal old words with surprising new definitions.
English sentence can be rewritten in slang, something al- All of language was once "nonstandard," until the in-
most impossible to do using a slang dictionary. This is not to vention of the printing press created the need for standardiza-
say that slang dictionaries should be considered superfluous. tion and inspired the first dictionary. Slang also originates
It is the basic premise that is different; a dictionary is meant to out of need. New words are continually coming into the
define words, but if the user doesn't know the slang word for language, to stay only as long as they are useful. No attempt
which a definition is sought, a slang dictionary is reduced to was made in this book to rule out "vogue" words. Deciding
little more than a volume for browsing. If anything, The which of these words are merely passing through the lan-
Random House Thesaurus of Slang should make slang dic- guage and which are taking up more-or-less permanent resi-
tionaries more useful. Except in a few instances where the dence was not part of our editorial criteria. Slang is created
use of an obscure slang term is demonstrated, this thesaurus, by all social classes in every kind of circumstance as a more
since it is not a dictionary, does not define slang words convenient, more private, or more entertaining means of
beyond giving them a formal English synonym. For a more communication. Groups create their own language within a
precise definition of the words found in this book, a slang language. The various kinds of slang are a means of identifi-
dictionary should be used. cation. Peers recognize each other through its use. Slang is a
In a sense, this volume is similar to a foreign-language way of belonging, of "speaking the same language."
dictionary in that it "translates" formal English into the The word slang itself is said to have once meant "to be
language of slang. To some readers slang can seem like a abusive." And much slang is abusive, chauvinistic, irrever-
foreign language and, like a foreign language, there are times ent, profane, and sexually explicit. This book includes all
when it doesn't translate exactly. The same word or phrase types of slang, uncensored. For better or worse, this is the
can differ subtly in meaning in different contexts. In an slang commonly used in America today.
extreme instance a word can be its own antonym; for exam- Experts in linguistics disagree among themselves over
ple, baddest can mean "best" or "worst." matters of definition, and they are certain to disagree with
While attempting to determine the right formal synonym some of the definitions in this work. It is a risk anyone who
of a slang term, we often asked which formal English word prepares such a text must take. In those instances where it
was the one most likely to occur to a reader searching for a can be pointed out that we are in error, corrections will be
slang synonym. For example, it is not likely a reader would made most gratefully, but for the moment, what the reader
.think to find pot likker under the entry residue. Soup stock finds within these pages is as close to the correct usage of
was more credible. Therefore, for some entries, precision slang, colloquialisms, and the American idiom as we could
has been sacrificed for ease of use. Where a widely used slang presently determine.
—Esther and Albert E. Lewin

How to Use This Book
For speakers, writers of fact or fiction, playwrights, screen the word are listed under the numeral J. "Enact" also means
and television writers, journalists, advertising copy writers, to "act." Number 2 provides a selection of "act" words.
publicists, politicians, members of the clergy—anyone who Following the slang terms there appears "See EXECUTE."
deals with the expression of ideas through words, The Ran- and "See also PERFORM." "See" references offer a broader
dom House Thesaurus of Slang is simple to use. Standard selection of slang synonyms. If you don't find the word you
English words are listed in alphabetical order. Under each of are seeking in the first group, the "See" category can provide
these words is a collection of slang synonyms. Suppose you many more choices. "See also" references provide a broader
are preparing a speech or an essay and you want to make the selection still, directing you to collateral meanings of the
following statement less formal, "Freedom of speech is basic word. As a convenience, there are no listings simply referring
to democracy. " The operational word is basic. Look up the the reader to another category without some slang synonyms
word basic. listed, allowing the reader a choice of synonyms without
having to look further.
BASIC n. bottom line, plain vanilla, nitty gritty,
Still another refinement is offered to aid your search for
where its at, name, name of the game, nub, meat and
exactly the right word. A semicolon separates specialized
potatoes, coal and ice. See also VITAL.
references from the general: such words might refer only to
males as opposed to females or might differentiate activities
Depending on the level of informality desired, you find a
from objects. Wherever possible, the most current, widely
wide range of choices, so the sentence can be written,
used words are listed first.
"Freedom of speech is the meat and potatoes of democracy,"
It is agreed among lexicographers that finding exactly the
or "Freedom of speech is the nub of democracy. "
right synonym for a word is an inexact pursuit. In standard
In addition to the listing of slang synonyms under a partic-
English, no two words carry precisely the same meaning and
ular word, the thesaurus also offers a broader selection of
it is no different with slang, where exact definitions are often
words to assist you in finding exactly the sense you seek.
as varied as the locales in which the words are used. In many
ENACT v. 1. jam, jam through, railroad, railroad cases, parts of speech are mixed; nouns are listed with adjec-
through, steamroller through. 2. be on, go on, do a tives; verbs become nouns and nouns verbs; positives are used
turn, do ones stuff, do a number. See EXECUTE. See as negatives. That's the way you will find it here. Except for
also PERFORM. the sake of clarity, no attempt has been made to define slang
beyond the category heading. The thesaurus should not be
"Enact" illustrates three of these features. The word enact considered a dictionary. Where definition is necessary, refer-
is synonymous with "legislate." Synonyms for that sense of ence to a good slang dictionary is recommended.
Acknowledgments
Our deep appreciation to: the presentation of the work, for his sage advice and our
sadness that he will not see it in its final form.
Joseph Simon, publisher of Ward Ritchie Press, for his
Eliza Lewin, who kept us current with the youth and technical expertise.
music scenes, and who was ever ready to help with the Anthony Borras, who tailored his deftly programmed
drudgery of checking references, researching, and data base management system, DBMS, to perform so
preparing bibliographies. many complex tasks when personal computers were still
Professor Herbert Turman, who was always available to very primitive.
advise, read manuscript, and to provide technical coun- To our many patient friends, who were unaware of their
seling and general encouragement. cooperation as guinea pigs in blind tests of questionable
Charles Bloch of Bantam Books, for his help in shaping material.