The Disappearing Dictionary: A Treasury of Lost English Dialect Words

dabberlick [noun, Scotland] A mildly insulting way of talking about someone who is tall and skinny. 'Where's that dabberlick of a child?'

fubsy [adjective, Lancashire] Plump, in a nice sort of way.

squinch [noun, Devon] A narrow crack in a wall or a space between floorboards. 'I lost sixpence through a squinch in the floor'.

Wherever you go in the English-speaking world, there are linguistic riches from times past awaiting rediscovery. All you have to do is choose a location, find some old documents, and dig a little. Here, linguistics expert Professor David Crystal collects together delightful dialect words that either provide an insight into an older way of life, or simply have an irresistible phonetic appeal. The Disappearing Dictionary unearths some lovely old gems of the English language, dusts them down and makes them live again for a new generation.

David Crystal is a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster who has published extensively on the history and development of English, including How Language Works, Shakespeare's Words, Spell It Out and The Stories of English. He was 'Master of Original Pronunciation' at Shakespeare's Globe in London for its productions of Romeo and Juliet and Troilus and Cressida in 2004-5, and has since acted as an accent consultant for other such productions worldwide.