Online Slang Dictionaries and Language Links

British slang and dialect
General English slang and comparative English/American language
U.S. slang
Australian slang
New Zealand slang
South African slang
Foreign slang and languages
Drug related slang
'Black' slang and rap
Gay/lesbian slang
Crime and prison slang
Other specialist slang sites
Miscellaneous dictionaries and other language related resources
Other links
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British slang and language related sites:

• London Slang - current usage, including rhyming slang. With an introduction, slang survey, bibliography and films, it's well worth a butchers.
• Completely Lanky - a wonderful insight into the Lancashire dialect. Based on Dave Dutton's reyt funny book of the same name.
• United Kingdom English for the American Novice - a listing of British words and phrases, from an American's perspective, including some slang, with definitions in American. (Last updated Jan 1996)
• Everyday English and Slang in Ireland - a starting point for those interested in the rich language of the Irish, and although not strictly British, Anglo-Irish slang is very much a common part of UK English.
  
• The Lovely Language of Northern Ireland - a collection of slang and colloquial expressions from Northern Ireland.
• Cockney Rhyming Slang - an interesting selection of the often enigmatic vernacular of London's East End.
• Glesga Glossary - slang from Glasgow, including some favourite glesga phrases.
• The Geordie Dictionary - a moderate collection of dialect and slang from Tyneside, in the North East of England.
• Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group - words, literature, publications and a newsletter.
• TeesSpeak an Urban Dialect - wonderful dictionary of the dialect of Teeside, Middlesbrough, plus associated articles and links.
• The Updated GonMad Cumbrian Dictionary - currently small but is sure to grow rapidly with the many rich dialectisms of Cumbria
• The Lakeland Dialect Society - A glossary with accompanying news, publications and more.
• Merseytalk - the rich heritage of speech coined and used in Liverpool and the wider area of Merseyside.
• Wenglish - the dialect of the valleys and townships of South Wales. John Edward's dictionary site of the Welsh/English dialectical oddity.
• Ye Olde English Sayings - offers a revealing insight into the origins of some well-known British phrases, with a selection of alternative suggestions submitted by visitors.
• A Common Language? - offering a selection of short but humourous articles on UK English.
• Estuary English - written articles and links related to English spoken around London. Authored by the University College London.
• Whoohoo - takes a light-hearted approach to the English language and allows the translation of phrases and emails into your choice of the British dialects, including amongst others Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Scottish and Brummie.
• The Routes of English - provides a selection of radio articles on dialect, the future of English and other relevant topics. Presenting audio clips from the BBC Radio 4 series on the English language.
• The Yorkshire Dialect Society - publicity and website links.
• Yorkshire Dialect Dictionary - good collection of dialect local to Yorkshire.
• North Yorkshire Glossary - a BBC page & dictionary, with additional submissions from readers.
  
• Language of the Potteries - a humorous look at the North Staffordshire tongue, illustrated with a few complimentary cartoons.
• F.O.N.D. - Friends of Norfolk Dialect - dedicated to conserving, recording and promoting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Norfolk dialect.
• Slang on Twitter - get your weekly slang tweet on twitter.

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General English slang and comparative English-American language dictionaries:

• The English/American dictionary - brought to you by Brit Mike Etherington who has himself lived in Texas for two years; the site has pages on people, motoring, around the house, food and drink and a general slang section. Also, now available for purchase, the book "The Best of British (The American's guide to speaking British)" by Mike Etherington.
• The Septic's Companion formerly The English to American Dictionary - written by a Scot having spent time on the States, it presents the different use of English on both sides of the Atlantic; handy for the American visitor to Britain.
• Alternative English Dictionary - one of many from the TAD (The Alternative Dictionaries) collection.
• The Probert Encyclopaedia - encompassing English slang from around the world.
• Urban Dictionary - "a slang dictionary with your definitions". A more entertaining than serious reference resource.

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US slang and language related sites:

• Amerispeak - contains a selection of expressions associated with the US.
• A Seattle Lexicon - for 'Lingo from the Far Corner' offering sections on geography, events, sports and coffee amongst others.
• American Dialect Society - founded over a century ago and the only scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America.
• Bay Area Hip Hop Dictionary - a good collection of slang from San Francisco, including Bay Area links.
• Slang City - guide to American slang, including explanations of popular songs and movies, bad words, body parts and more.
• A Historical Dictionary of American Slang - presents a unique way for studying slang. It contains over 2200 slang words with the centuries in which they were first printed.
  

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Australian slang:

• The Aussie Pages - a light hearted dictionary of Australian slang and phrases, brought to you by Koala Net.
• Macquarie Dictionary - a dictionary site, taken from the published book of the same name.

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New Zealand sites:

• Kiwi Words and Phrases - not all slang but light-hearted and interesting nevertheless.
• N.Z. English to US English Dictionary - providing equivalent American definitions to a variety of expressions, including slang from New Zealand.
• New Zealand Slang - the ultimate guide to Kiwi slang.

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South African sites:

• RSA Slang - the South African Expat's one-stop on-line resource offers a variable selection of slang.
• Surfrikan Slang - provides a glossary to South African slang from the surfer's perspective.

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Foreign language sites:

• Strategic Road. - A huge collection of French and global dictionaries, including a few slang.
• French idioms - for a translated list including meanings and links to 'all things French'.

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Drug related slang:

• Drug Related Slang - a straightforward listing, and a part of a large site on drugs, including history, many related documents, and use of drugs. Originally compiled in the U.S. by the 'Drugs & Crime Data Center & Clearinghouse.'

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'Black' slang and rap:

• The Rap Dictionary - a Black music site from Holland.
• Rasta Glossary - a great selection of Rastafarian language, presented by the Rasta Gear Shop.

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Gay/Lesbian slang sites:

• Polari - British Gay Slang - includes a brief introduction, word listings and some interesting links.
• Hugh Young's Lexicon of Polari - meanings, origins, grammar, occasional examples of pronunciation, and use of Polari.
• Gay Slang Dictionary - also known as "Robert Scott's Gay Slang Dictionary" and was written by By Robert Owen Scott, Jr.
• Queer Language - 'A Critique of Social Constructionism and Postmodern Queer Theory ' - by Rictor Norton

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Crime and Prison Slang:

• Twists, slugs and roscoes: A glossary of hardboiled slang - lists the unusual slang of the literary underworld of crime.
• The Mobspeak Glossary - expressions from the world of the Mafia, and claiming to be 'for satirical purposes only'.

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Other specialist slang sites:

• The Online Dictionary of Playground Slang - an unusual collection of the language of children, from the playground, including some slang.
• Irish Slang - 'The Irish Slang Dictionary, For Focal Sake!'
  
• A Dictionary of Roadie Slang - the language of road racing cyclists.
• Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak - an intriguing collection of cyber related expressions, slang, and jargon.
• Special Forces Jargon and Terminology - a selection of U.S. soldier's terms and just a little slang, from Vietnam.
• English, as She is Spoke at McMurdo - a guide to slang and jargon of the Antarctic.
• ARRSEpedia - this dictionary is a "one stop shop for Soldier speak", offering British army slang and jargon.

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Miscellaneous dictionaries and other language related resources:

• World Wide Words - excellent articles on linguistics, topical words, weird words, turns of phrase, phonetics and much more. Maintained by Michael Quinion, World Wide Words offers a weekly newsletter via e-mail, including a question and answer section for subscribers.
• Maledicta - The International Journal of Verbal Aggression - 'discusses language honestly and gets straight to the point'. Maintained and edited by the renowned Reinhold Aman.
• The Word Wizard - a varied offering including quote of the day, insult of the day, word competitions, help with slang, questions and answers and all sorts of goodies.
• Cunt: taboo, patriarchy and liberation - an indepth social history of the word 'cunt', including its development and many uses.
• The Word Detective - an online version of the popular newspaper column presented by Evan Morris, for questions about words and language.
• Onelook Dictionaries - search this excellent online database, composed of over 19 million words indexed from 1062 dictionaries, and slang being just a small part of this.
  
  

  Search the Internet dictionaries for a word, using the Onelook.Com site

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• A Way With Words - A Way with Words is an upbeat and lively hour-long public radio show about language examined through history, culture, and family.
• YourDictionary.com - links to 1500 dictionaries in over 230 languages. Also offers a quick word lookup based on the Merriam Webster Collegiate(R) Dictionary.
• Roget's Thesaurus - looking for synonyms?
• Wir Ain Leid - Our Own Language - a dictionary, articles on Scottish and the continuing debate on whether Scottish is a dialect or a language in its own right.
• Common Errors in English
• Affixes: the building blocks of English - listing 1,250 language elements with examples of all four types of affixes in English: the prefix, suffix, combining form, and infix.
  
  

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Other links (partner sites):

• To view the growing list of websites that link to A Dictionary of Slang, click here. These websites are not all dedicated to slang, dictionaries or the use of language, and their inclusion is purely to express gratitude for their support and extra traffic they may bring. Link exchanges with websites is no longer encouraged.

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