VOCABULUM; OR, THE ROGUE'S LEXICON.

Matsell, George W.

Item #: 14373

Pages: vi,130p.
Published: Union; Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.; 2005.

Subjects: CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIMINAL LAW & PROCEDURE, DICTIONARIES

As New York City's Chief of Police and an owner of theNational Police Gazette, Matsell had an abiding interest incriminal speechways. Although Matsell compiled thisdictionary for his colleagues in law enforcement, herecognized its value to the linguist. As he notes in thepreface, criminal terms were beginning to enter generalusage and appeared regularly in newspapers, court reportsand other publications. Matsell's compilation includes suchentries as "acorn" (a gallows), "hemp the flat" (choke afool), "rumbo" (a prison) and "tyburn blossom" (a youngthier). The appendix contains samples of criminal speechwriting (with translations) and the vocabularies ofgamblers, billiard players, pugilists and stock brokers.Reprinted by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.Distributed by William S. Hein & Co., Inc.

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