Celebrating slang and unconventional English, once again: an interview with Terry Victor

Much water has flowed under the bridge of lexicography since Quirk (1980:24) noted that Eric Partridge's masterwork A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (also known as the DSUE) was likely to be the best slang dictionary we could expect to have for many years to come.But time has shown that he made no exaggeration in his praise.Using Farmer and Henley's monumental Slang and Its Analogues (1890-1904) as a basis on which to build his own work, Partridge managed to provide in his dictionary the most comprehensive and authoritative picture of English slang ever.Or rather a succession of snapshots, for in a span of nearly fifty years, from its first publication in 1937 up to 1984, it went through eight editions, the last being revised and updated by Paul Beale after the author's death in 1979.Given his sound literary background and his romantic outlook on philology -Partridge was a philologist in the strictest etymological sense, a true lover of words -he was remarkably well qualified for collecting slang words and dissecting their meaning and history.And this he did so brilliantly, so devotedly, that even today, when a large number of technological resources have greatly eased dictionary making, one cannot help being awed by the sheer depth and breadth of his work.Weaknesses it has (what dictionary does not?), one of them being its patchy coverage of American slang, another -and arguably the most serious -its wild guesses at the etymology of many a word.Yet the overall achievement far outweighs such flaws.Partridge's huge strengths in recording British military and underworld slang, especially up until the mid-20th century, are undeniable, and so is the merit of setting right the mistakes of others who, before him, had ventured into the murky depths of slang etymology.

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