slang (2)

& a. [A word of doubtful origin. According to Skeat and Wedgwood, from slang, pa. t. of sling; cf. Norw. sleng a slinging, an invention, a device a burden of a song; slengja kjeften (lit. to sling the jaw)=to use abusive language, te slang; slengjenamn =a nickname.] A. As substantive: 1. A kind of colloquial language current among one particular cla or among various cla es of society, uneducated or educated, but which, not having received the stamp of general approval, is frequently considered as inelegant, incorrect, or vulgar. Almost every profe ion or calling has its own particular slang, as, literary slang , theatrical slang , legal slang , sporting slang , . In this sense it means any colloquial words or phrases, vulgar or refined, used conventionally by each particular cla of people in speaking of particular matters connected with their own calling. Slang is sometimes allied to, but not quite identical with cant . "In the exuberance of mental activity, and the natural delight of language-making, slang is a nece ary evil; and there are grades and uses of slang whose charm no one need be ashamed to feel and confe ; it is like reading a narrative in a series of rude but telling pictures, instead of in words."-Whitney: Life and Growth of Lan. guage , ch. vii. 2. A term used by London costermongers for counterfeit weights and measures. 3. A traveling show or booth; a performance. 4. A watch-chain. *5. A fetter worn by convicts, so called from being slung on their legs by a sling to prevent slipping down. B. As adj .: Of the nature of slang; slangy; as, a slang expre ion. (1) Back slang : A kind of slang used by street traders in London. Its main principle is that of pronouncing words rudely backward; as, Cool the delo nammow=Look at the old woman. ( Slang Dict .) (2) Rhyming slang , Riming slang : A kind of cant language used by street vagabonds, ., which consists of the substitution of words and sentences which rhyme with other words or sentences intended to be kept secret. [BACK-SLANG.]