Does anyone know of a good online dictionary of 19th
century slang that includes Western mining slang/terms?
We are doing a production of The Ballad of Baby Doe this season and I want
to include a slang dictionary in the educational materials that I send out
to teachers.
Thanks!
You actually get quite a bit by searching “19th century slang” at google.
I doubt that it’s online, but I highly recommend finding a copy of the Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles at your local major reference library (city or university.) And don’t ignore the OED or a classic Webster’s (1913 edition and its immediate derivatives, not a more modern edition or a non-Webster’s Webster’s) for digging up obscure senses and forgotten words and compounds.
I love the Internet. I really do. This suggestion is very NON Internet. Jerome , Arizona. FAMOUS OLD mining town. Call Az information, get the phone number for the Jerome, Arizona Town Hall. Call 'em up, I betcha dollars to doughnuts that they have a book with the kinds of phrases that you seek. In paperback. For sale !!! Just a thought…
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