Slang has always moved this way. From Cockney rhyming slang to codes swapped among highwaymen, they're tribal badges of identity, bonding mechanisms designed to distinguish the initiated, and to keep strangers out. — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
According to my parents, I've always liked to tune into the conversations of others. But rather than hope for a snippet of salacious gossip,… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
As dialect began to be collected in the late 19th century, such words as Yorkshire's 'gobslotch' emerged, revealing the burgeoning association between gluttony and… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
In the earliest days, make-up and moralising were intertwined. The 'cosmetic slops and washes' of the 17th and 18th centuries aimed to smooth complexions… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
I don't intentionally eavesdrop. I'm not looking for salacious gossip, I'm just looking for vocabulary items. — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
Above all, Jane Goodall continues to teach us that, as humans, we are no more entitled to our glorious planet than the chimps she… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
The notion of 'Queen's English' is usually applied to our pronunciation. — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
Slang has different functions: many of the words we use are playful and a lot are tribal - we speak the same way as… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
English has always been a mongrel tongue, snapping up words from every continent its speakers encountered. — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
As a nation we love our dialects, and there is a lot of regional variance in the names for different foods - barmcake, bap… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
The one thing - apart from assumptions about German - that I have to challenge frequently is people assuming that lexicographers are fierce protectors… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
The character of our language defines us, and dictionaries say as much about us as about the way we speak. — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
Almost half the adult population finds discussing the subject of money difficult. Slang words help us to navigate these conversations by making us feel… — Susie Dent Copy Share Image
