Englishness is an ancient and powerful concept, but no one seems sure exactly what it means in the twenty-first century. In exploring our national identity, Tony Thorne has compiled a fascinating compendium of the hundred words and phrases that have become the cornerstones of modern English, and have been used — sometimes deliberately, but often inadvertently — to stake out our common ground, to define what makes us essentially English, and thus different from those beastly foreigners who lurk just off our shores.

«With more than 15,000 definitions, this book provides a definitive guide to the use of slang today. It deals with drugs, sport and contemporary society, as well as favourite slang topics such as sex and bodily functions. In this convenient paperback edition of the highly acclaimed «Dictionary of Contemporary Slang», language and culture expert, Tony Thorne explores the ever-changing underworld of the English language, bringing back intriguing examples of eccentricity and irreverence from the linguistic front-line.»