A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew

A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew is a dictionary of English cant and slang by a compiler known only by the initials B. E., first published in London c. 1698. With over 4,000 entries, it was the most extensive dictionary of non-standard English in its time, until it was superseded in 1785 by Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.[1] B. E.'s New Dictionary was used as a source by many subsequent dictionaries.

A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew
AuthorB. E.
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCant and slang
GenreDictionary
PublisherW. Hawes
Publication date
Circa 1698
Publication placeEngland

Full title

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Its full title is A new dictionary of the terms ancient and modern of the canting crew, in its several tribes, of gypsies, beggers, thieves, cheats, &c. with an addition of some proverbs, phrases, figurative speeches, &c.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Coleman (2004): pp. 41–42.

References

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  • Coleman, Julie (2001). "Some of the sources of B.E.'s New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew". Notes and Queries. 48 (4): 400–401. doi:10.1093/nq/48.4.400.
  • Coleman, Julie (2004). "Cant and slang dictionaries: A statistical approach". In Christian Kay; Carole Hough; Irené Wotherspoon (eds.). New Perspectives on English Historical Linguistics: Selected Papers from 12 ICEHL, Glasgow, 21–26 August 2002. Vol. 2. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. pp. 41–47. ISBN 1-58811-515-1.
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