Jill:
I shouldn't have been +quite+ so snappy about the New Fowler -- it is (I
feel) better than the old, in its own area. But when it comes to slang ...
If you're in a decent library (which I don't currently seem to be near at
the moment) you could check out:
_Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang_ (3 vols) ed. J.E.
Lighter, J. O'Connor, J. Ball
... this +ought+ to document the emergence of "gay" and "queer" in the
20thC.
There's also a three volume dictionary of Jacobean and Stuart sexual terms,
that might be relevant, but I can't for the life of me remember the title.
For the (non-sexual) origin of "queer", try the (multi-volume) _Dictionary
of the Older Scottish Tongue_. This is supposed (along with the SND) to be
going on-line, free to all, sometime in the next couple of years. But I
wouldn't hold my breath.
Finally (yet another coming-soon):
A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
Eric Partridge, Paul Beale (Editor), Crystal |f David |u University of Wales
|c UK
Our Price: £25.00
Paperback - 1432 pages New in Paperback (4 October, 2002)
Routledge, an imprint of Taylor & Francis Books Ltd; ISBN: 0415291895
If this +really+ is a proper update of Partridge (and both Beale and Crystal
are decent scholars) it should be worth it's weight in gold.
Luck in you researches,
Robin
> I'd say, right you are. I just threw it up (so to speak) as it was all I
> could find for the mo' and I knew it would get a larf if nothing else. The
> rest of the entry got tattier and tattier which is why I didn't bother
> (though it was very funny in a sad way). But will do some serious research
> when I can get to a library. Deep in some other shite at present which has
> queered it for me re running out and about.
>
> Jill
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