How the Irish Invented Slang: The Secret Language of the Crossroads
In a series of lively essays, this pioneering book proves that US slang has its strongest wellsprings in nineteenth-century Irish America. "Jazz" and "poker," "sucker" and "scam" all derive from Irish. While demonstrating this, Daniel Cassidy simultaneously traces the hidden history of how Ireland fashioned America, not just linguistically, but through the Irish gambling underworld, urban street gangs, and the powerful political machines that grew out of them. Cassidy uncovers a secret...
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Paddy's revenge!
Dedication and Acknowledgements viiIntroduction Peter Quinn xiFocloir Poca-a Pocket Dictionary 1Boliver of Brooklyn 5The Sanas (Etymology, Secret Knowledge) of Slum 11The Gangs of New York Talk Back in Irish 17Songs of the Crossroad 27The Sanas of Faro and Poker 39How the Irish Invented Dudes 55The Sanas of Jazz 59A Dictionary of Irish-American Vernacular 77Index 297
