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.
  
• A Dublin Dictionary - 'add to the world's understanding of Dublinese'.
• 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.
• The Law of the Playground - an unusual collection of the language of children, from the playground, including some slang.
• 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.
• Birmingham Slang - more Midlands/Black Country dialect and slang.
• A Bristolian Dictionary - a section of the humorous 'That Be Bristle' news website.
• F.O.N.D. - Friends of Norfolk Dialect - dedicated to conserving, recording and promoting the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Norfolk dialect.
• Mawdesley Dialect - a glossary of Lancashire words as spoken in Mawdesley.

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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 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.
• The American/British - British/American Dictionary - Jeremy Peak's large and extensive dictionary provides Anglo-American language differences, including slang, use of English as a language and help with grammar and pronunciation.
• Roger's Profannisaurus - a humourous and very colourful collection of sexual slang and vulgarisms, collated and published by the Viz comic.
• The Dictionary of Informal, Slang and Idiomatic Phrases in Spoken English - a huge resource, presenting a wide selection of expressions.
• Alternative English Dictionary - one of many from the TAD (The Alternative Dictionaries) collection. From here you can access all the language dictionaries, listing over 3000 words and phrases and all submitted by Internet users.
• 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.
• The Pittsburgh Dictionary - for the regional language of Pittsburgh, check out Pittsburghese.
• The College Slang Page - presents a wide selection of expressions from the colleges of the USA.
• 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.

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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:

• Addictions and Life Page - consists of US drug related street terms/slang words, with a page on drug abuse signs, symptoms and information.
• 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.'
• Street Terms - Drugs and the Drug Trade - lists many current terms and expressions, presented by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

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'Black' slang and rap:

• Check out The Rap Dictionary or The Dancehall Dictionary brought to you by the hugely popular YUSH, an online black interest magazine.
• Yo Guide to Today's Slang - unusually, authored by a female, bout time too, including a general black slang page, an 'eboniks' collection and a couple of more light-hearted areas such as 'pick up lines' and 'rants'. Despite the heavy use of animated graphics, pop-ups it' s well worth a looksy.
• The Speak Jamaican - with an excellent collection of pages including help in speaking Jamaican patois.
• 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.
• Wizard's Gay Slang Dictionary - devoted to the promotion of all things gay.
• A Brief Dictionary of Queer Slang and Culture - an elegantly composed lexicon with a good cross-indexed structure.
• Polari - A Cinderella Among Languages - "How bona to varda your dolly old eek!" it asks. Why not find out what on earth they are talking about.
• Hugh Young's Lexicon of Polari - meanings, origins, grammar, occasional examples of pronunciation, and use of Polari.
• 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.
• A Prisoner's Dictionary - a lengthy list of slang and jargon, including links, mainly from a Californian perspective.
• The Mobspeak Glossary - expressions from the world of the Mafia, and claiming to be 'for satirical purposes only'.
• A Glossary of the Lowlife - "A collection of historic words and phrases from the Barbary Coast, the French Quarter, New York, Chicago and other havens of the sinful and depraved."

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Other specialist slang sites:

• The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English - a site for the new edition of Eric Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, published by Routledge, providing the opportunity for public contribution of new slang words.
• The Online Dictionary of Playground Slang - a large and fascinating collection of children's slang.
• A Dictionary of Roadie Slang - the language of road racing cyclists.
• The Ultimate Silicon Valley Slang Page - the vernacular of this innovative technology and business area of California.
• 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.
• A Glossary of Yiddish Expressions. - a great insight into Yiddish words and phrases.
• English, as She is Spoke at McMurdo - a guide to slang and jargon of the Antarctic.
• A Dictionary of Great War Slang - presents the specialist slang and jargon from the trenches of World War One.
• ARRSEpedia - this dictionary is a "one stop shop for Soldier speak", offering British army slang and jargon.
• Starma's Adult Humour - lists of euphemisms covering sex.

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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 11 million words indexed from 966 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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• Double-Tongued Word Wrester Dictionary - a growing dictionary of old and new words from the fringes of English.
• The Meaning of Tingo ...and other extraordinary words from around the world. A site promoting the book by Adam Jacot de Boinod.
• YourDictionary.com - links to 1500 dictionaries in over 230 languages. Also offers a quick word lookup based on the Merriam Webster Collegiate(R) Dictionary.
• Word for Word - a good selection of word articles, phrase etymology, and a word forum.
• The Mavens' Word of the Day - part of the Random House online empire, supplying the answers to word queries and includes an archive.
• A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia - is a delightful site of unusual and whimsical word facts.
• On-line English Grammar - if you need a little help with your grammar, as I often do, then consult this site by Anthony Hughes.
  
• 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.
• The Word Spy presents a site dedicated to recently coined words and includes older ones which have received new popularity.
• Common Errors in English
• The Cliché Site - Large collection of clichés, sayings, euphemisms, phrases & figures of speech.
  
  
  
  

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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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