Contains over 1300 entries on unexplained phenomena.

A scholarly reference to slang expressions from all parts of the English-speaking world includes coverage of twenty-first-century terms and lists explanations of word origins.

With its unparalleled coverage of English slang of all types (from 18th-century cant to contemporary gay slang), and its uncluttered editorial apparatus, Cassell's Dictionary of Slang was warmly received when its first edition appeared in 1998. 'Brilliant.' said Mark Lawson on BBC2's The Late Review; 'This is a terrific piece of work - learned, entertaining, funny, stimulating' said Jonathan Meades in The Evening Standard.But now the world's best single-volume dictionary of English slang is about to get even better. Jonathon Green has spent the last seven years on a vast project: to research in depth the English slang vocabulary and to hunt down and record written instances of the use of as many slang words as possible. This has entailed trawling through more than 4000 books - plus song lyrics, TV and movie scripts, and many newspapers and magazines - for relevant material. The research has thrown up some fascinating results

"This second edition of Chambers Dictionary of Quotations offers even more inspiring, reflective, insightful, witty and wise words from across the centuries. With its broad historical scope, it is the ideal tool for checking a half-remembered line, finding a telling turn of phrase for a speech or essay, or simply browsing the accumulated wit and wisdom of the ages."--BOOK JACKET.

One of the most comprehensive collections of its kind features more than 21,000 quotes from 3,500 authors, arranged alphabetically by author with a complete keyword index, mini-biographies of the authors, and notes on source and historical context.