The Liverpool English Dictionary: A Record of the Language of Liverpool 1850-2015 on Historical Principles

Know someone with an antwacky stem-winder? Heard the Band of Hope Street? Ever been on a vinegar trip? Do you jangle? Ever met a Cunard yank in the Dingle? Could you pay for a dodger with a joey? Have you heard a maccyowler in a jigger?

The Liverpool English Dictionary records the rich vocabulary that has evolved over the past century and a half, as part of the complex, stratified, multi-faceted and changing culture of this singular city. With over 2,000 entries from ‘Abbadabba’ to ‘Z-Cars’, the roots/routes, meanings and histories of the words of Liverpool are presented in a concise, clear and accessible format.

Born and bred in Liverpool, Professor Tony Crowley has spent over thirty years compiling this bold and innovative dictionary, investigating historical lexicons, sociological studies, works of history, local newspapers, popular cultural representations, and, most importantly, the extensive ‘lost’ literature of the city.

Illuminating, often remarkable, and always enjoyable, this book transforms our understanding of the history of language in Liverpool.

Tony Crowley is Professor of English at the University of Leeds. Born and bred in Liverpool, he has taught at Oxford, Southampton and Manchester universities. He was the Hartley Burr Alexander Chair of the Humanities at Scripps College, California (2005–13), and is a Fellow of the English Association. His previous books include The Liverpool English Dictionary (Liverpool University Press, 2017), Scouse: A Social and Cultural History (Liverpool University Press, 2012), Wars of Words: The Politics of Language in Ireland 1537–2005 (Oxford University Press, 2005) and The Politics of Language: The Standard Language Question in Cultural Debates (Palgrave, 2003).