Gangster Speak

Gangster Speak A Dictionary of Criminal and Sexual Slang

Paperback (14 Nov 2011)

Not available for sale

Out of stock

This service is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Publisher's Synopsis

An Aladdin's cave of criminal slang as spoken in the UK, America and Australia. If you're scratching or set tripping, if you're viper mad or coming heavy, if the ming are on the wing and you've no idea what any of this means, then you need Gangster Speak.

From the shocking to the ridiculous, Gangster Speak contains over 2,500 linguistic gems:
Ghosting - the practice of transferring a troublesome prisoner to another establishment during the night without warning
Hobbit - a prisoner who complies with or sucks up to the system
Put on armour - layer oneself with magazines to deflect knife wounds in a prison fight
Hooch - 'illicit liquor'
A Bernie - a victim who might be armed and prepared to use a weapon, after Bernard Goetz who killed a robber on the subway

Providing a useful guide to the nicknames of criminals, as well as fascinating word histories and multiple definitions for different uses of a word around the globe, with Gangster Speak you'll never be lost for words.

About the Publisher

Virgin Books

Our list is a diverse and far-reaching one. Primarily a non-fiction house, we publish across a broad range of subjects from popular science, humour and biography to health and lifestyle, TV tie-ins, sport and reference. We also publish a small dark-fiction list and series fiction. Our aim is to publish innovative, high-quality and commercial titles that make a difference. We also have a strong and exciting backlist containing names such as Charles Bukowski and Spike Milligan.

Book information

ISBN: 9780753522851
Publisher: Ebury Publishing
Imprint: Virgin Books
Pub date:
DEWEY: 364.1014
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 192
Weight: 170g
Height: 180mm
Width: 111mm
Spine width: 15mm