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The Dictionary of 1980s Slang
The Dictionary of 1980s Slang
Stranger than Fiction! The Totally Awesome Guide to Rockin' '80s Lingo
Paperback Book
Carlile Media
Available Now
STRANGER THAN FICTION!
- Ideal for any '80s kid, and anyone who wants to discover what made the '80s great!
- From the author of the USA #1 best-selling (unofficial) Scrabble book "The Dictionary of Two-Letter Words."
- Packed with over 800 scrupulously-researched entries.
- Over 500 citations from '80s movies, music and books.
- Incisive, humorous definitions examining etymology, history, and more.
- Numerous explanatory illustrations.
- Bonus! Cut-out-and-play yuppie simulator card game.
The 1980s: a decade of uplifting energy, exhilarating confidence, raw power, and uncompromising style. A decade of Armani-wearing, slicked-back dudes and power-dressing, big-haired babes zooming down open highways in sports cars, breakdancers gyrating to the sounds of the boombox, neon-clad skaters and BMXers soaring through the skies in a sparkling, endless Californian heatwave.
It was the decade hip hop and new wave went mainstream, home computing planted the seed of the Information Age, and a flood of electrifying movies and music intoxicated the world with glorious visions of the chrome-plated American Dream.
And the language! Every ’80s movement developed its own vibrant, eloquent, often hilarious slang - and the mass media machine turbocharged it into the popular imagination.
This bright, witty dictionary is no dry lexicon - it's a fresh, zesty expedition into the soul of a vigorous age. You can dip in at random, read it cover-to-cover, or surf from one cross-reference to another in a radical journey of linguistic exploration. However you approach this unique book, you will find yourself reliving an era of limitless optimism and opportunity - or discovering it for the first time!
THE TOTALLY AWESOME GUIDE TO ROCKIN' '80S LINGO
Necessarily contains moderately crude language.
Proudly published in the USA by Carlile Media.
ISBN/SKU: 1949117219
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Before You Buy
Q: Who is this book for?
A: This dictionary is for anyone who grew up in the 1980s, fans of '80s movies and music, writers, researchers, word lovers, and younger readers who want to understand the language of the decade. It works equally well as a nostalgic read and as a practical reference.
Q: What does the book contain?
A: It includes more than 800 carefully researched slang terms from the 1980s, with definitions, etymology, historical background, and examples showing how the words were actually used. It also includes more than 500 citations from movies, music, books, and other period sources.
Q: Is this just a list of funny old expressions?
A: No. The book treats slang as a window into the culture of the decade. The entries explain where terms came from, what they meant, how they were used, and what they reveal about the music, fashion, technology, social trends, and attitudes of the period.
Q: Does it cover different kinds of 1980s slang?
A: Yes. The vocabulary comes from a wide range of subcultures and settings, including music, youth culture, business, technology, fashion, sports, nightlife, street language, and popular media. That breadth is one of the reasons the book works as cultural history as well as a dictionary.
Q: How accurate is the material?
A: The entries are extensively researched and supported by hundreds of period citations. Rather than relying only on memory or nostalgia, the book uses contemporary movies, music, books, and other sources to show that the expressions were genuinely in circulation.
Q: Is this useful for writers and researchers?
A: Yes. Anyone writing fiction, screenplays, articles, or other material set in the 1980s can use the dictionary to check period vocabulary and avoid anachronistic language. The historical notes and citations also provide context that simple online slang lists usually do not.
Q: Is the book meant to be read from cover to cover?
A: It can be. Although it works perfectly well as a reference dictionary, the entries are written in an informative and often humorous style, making it easy to browse at random, follow cross-references, or simply read through for the pleasure of rediscovering the language of the decade.
Q: Does the book contain adult language?
A: Some of it. Slang reflects the way people actually spoke, so the dictionary necessarily includes a modest amount of crude or adult language where it is historically relevant. The overall tone is humorous and informative rather than explicit for its own sake.
Q: Does the book include anything beyond the dictionary entries?
A: Yes. It includes explanatory illustrations and a bonus cut-out-and-play yuppie simulator card game, adding a playful period element to the reference material.
Q: Why choose this instead of an online slang list?
A: Most online lists simply provide a term and a short definition. This book goes much further, combining more than 800 entries with etymology, history, cultural context, period citations, and cross-references. It is designed to explain not just what people said in the 1980s, but why the language mattered.
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