Informal English

Gleaned from antiquated dictionaries, dialect glossaries, studies of folklore, nautical lexicons, historical writings, letters, novels, and miscellaneous sources, Informal English offers a captivating treasure trove of linguistic oddities that will not only entertain but also shed light on America''s colloquial past. Among the gems are:

• Surface-coal: cow dung, widely used for fuel in Texas
  
• Bone-orchard: in the Southwest slang for a cemetery
  
• Chawswizzled: "confounded" in Nebraskan idiom. "I''ll be chawswizzled!"
  
• Leather-ears: to Cape Cod inhabitants, a person of slow comprehension
  
• Puncture lady: a southwestern expression for a woman who prefers to sit on the sidelines at a dance and gossip rather than dance, often puncturing someone''s reputation

Whether the entries are unexpected twists on familiar-sounding expressions or based on curious old customs, this wide-ranging assortment of vernacular Americanisms will amaze and amuse even the most hard-boiled curmudgeon.