Online Slang Dictionaries and Language Links

Words beginning with:  A . B . C . D . E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M . N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X . Y . Z .  Abbreviations used

British slang and language related sites:

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General English slang and comparative English-American language dictionaries and resources:

  • 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.
  • Green’s Dictionary of Slang - historical slang from the last 500 years by the UK's leading slang lexocographer, Jonathon Green.
  • Roger's Profannisaurus - a humourous and very colourful collection of sexual slang and vulgarisms, collated and published by the Viz comic.
  • Urban Dictionary - "a slang dictionary with your definitions". A more entertaining than serious reference resource.
  • The Online Slang Dictionary - user submitted slang expressions and definitions.
  • Britishisms: What Are They? How To Use Them - interesting viewpoint on the British language from an American's perspective.
  • Glossary of English and British Words - a part of larger website and resource on British Life and Culture.

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US slang and language related sites:

  • Amerispeak - contains a selection of expressions associated with the US.
  • American Dialect Society - founded over a century ago and the only scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America.
  • 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:

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New Zealand sites:

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South African sites:

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Foreign language sites:

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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:

  • 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.
  • Queer Language - 'A Critique of Social Constructionism and Postmodern Queer Theory ' - by Rictor Norton.

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Crime and Prison Slang:

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Other specialist slang sites:

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Miscellaneous dictionaries and other language related resources:

  • A Drill Dictionary | Tony Thorne - By their keywords shall thee know them? The latest in a long series of moral panics (the term used by sociologists since the 1970s) exploited by the UK press and now subject of rancorous political debate, the issue of knife-crime and killings by street gangs, mainly in London, is genuinely concerning and is only now receiving the attention and analysis it demands.
  • Tony Thorne Slang Research | King’s College London - Tony Thorne conducts slang and new language research and is a visiting consultant at King's College.
  • Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction - a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of science fiction, edited by Jesse Scheidlower.
  • A Slang Thesaurus - slang, topic by topic.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Phrases.com - a large collection of common phrases, casual expressions and idioms, assembled by a community of contributing editors.
  • 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.
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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?
  • Power Thesaurus - is an easy-to-follow, crowdsourced online thesaurus.
  • Common Errors in English - The website of Professor Paul Brians at Washington State University
  • 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.
  • The Basics of English Grammar - learn some basic rules of the English language.
  • Origins of financial terms - the origins and meanings of financial sayings and idioms.
  • 100 Best Online Dictionaries: Stock up on New Words Today! - a lengthy list of many of the best online dictionary resources currently available.
  • Why Americans Drop the British “U” - an enlightening article on why American word spellings differ from that of the British.

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Other links (partner sites):

  • View the huge array of websites that link to a Dictionary of Slang via a reciprocal agreement. 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 traffic they may bring. Reciprocal links and link exchanges with websites are no longer accepted, unless under exceptional circumstances.

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Slang Bibliography

Recommended reading - books on slang and dictionaries. Read more...

Slang Articles

A few essays on various slang and word topics, incl. rhyming slang, the full monty, Gordon Bennett and nadsat. Read more...

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