Slang

Vocabulary, expressions, words etc that are generally considered to be below the level of accepted or educated language. The word ‘slang’ dates from the mid-18th century and the OED’s verdict is that the origin is ultimately unknown. Eric Partridge and others maintain that it might have derived from the word sling in the sense of throwing words around but this remains unproven. Before the 18th century, slang was generally referred to ‘cant’, which was the vocabulary of thieves, vagabonds and rogues. The first glossary of such ‘cant’ words and expressions, a total of only 114, was compiled by Thomas Harman in 1566. Most of Harman’s glossary is now obsolete, but booze (spelt ‘bowse’), duds, ‘clothes’, (spelt ‘dudes’), and filch ‘to steal’ (spelt ‘filch’) are still in use today. An excellent paper on the history and origin of slang is available online at: http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/90606/gradu00191.pdf;sequence=1 See also Rhyming slang