Slang, jargon, insider lingo and the perfect word make dialogue authentic and put your dancers en pointe.
by Ruth Harris
1. A few words about words:
Big words and little words. Everyday words and words for special occasions. Polite words and the other kind.
The right words, well considered and well chosen, can take a book from banal to boffo. The wrong ones, and your readers will flee. Too few, and the result is skimpy and chintzy. Too many, and readers will skim, skip, and give up.
What we need to bring our books to life is quality, relevance, authenticity, freshness, and flavor. Fortunately for us, the English language is alive and dynamic, offering a feast of words and expressions with which we can use to engage and entertain our readers.
Warning: there are caveats that come along with the following resources. Use them as you would a thesaurus; which is to say, thoughtfully. Don’t simply stick in a word because you think it’s impressive or an attention-grabber. Instead, use these suggestions to expand your range, improve your dialogue, open your (or your characters’) world, or generate a new thought or approach when you’re feeling stuck.
2. For word nerds:
Here are some of my favorite sources for word appreciation and inspiration to get you started and keep you going.
Etymology is the history of words. Douglas Harper’s Etymology Online – one of the best etymological dictionaries for the English Language – takes its place with an official Windows 8 application with more than 37,000 cross-referenced word histories. (PC only)
Word Hippo is a dictionary on steroids. In this on-line goldmine you will find meanings, rhyming words, pronunciations, word forms, names, similar or opposite words.
From gender gap to couch potato, the Columbia Journal Review cites the NYT Style guide and the Associated Press style guide in its discussion of the usage of colloquialisms and slang. Even though most of us here are writing fiction, there are lots of ideas here that will trigger new thoughts and approaches to help enliven our prose.
“Fangirl”, “batshit”, “bitchface” – one word or two? “Jeez?” or “Geez”? The BuzzFeed style guide has the answers.
More oriented toward the Brits but useful for many occasions, Green’s Dictionary of slang is just that. “Quite simply the best historical dictionary of English slang there is, ever has been […] or is ever likely to be” — Journal of English Language and Linguistics
3. Rx for the word blahs:
Subscribe to WordSmith for a daily shot of word intel.
And the WordMonger supplies weekly stories of word origins.
Here’s a list of 128 words to use instead of very.
550 words to use instead of said.
28 words to use instead of awesome.
Jack Milgram’s infographic suggests 200 powerful words to use instead of good.
Kathy Steinemann helps explore what to write instead of nodded. Kathy lists 125 ways of what to say instead of look.
4. Cussing, cursing, and expletives not deleted:
Attention authors of cozies and sweet romance: Instead of cleaning out your characters’ mouths with soap, try some of these 140 polite cuss words.
You’ll find definitions of street slang at Urban Dictionary. Much of it NSFW. 😉
According to H.L. Mencken, cursing ain’t what it used to be but, then again, what is? Try some old-fashioned expletives.
The f-word and beyond: How to use profanity in your fiction.
5. Plague words and crutch words.
Word traps and how to avoid them.
Commonly misused words and phrases.
How to avoid the redundant.
Stop clichés before they start with the Cliché Finder.
How to ID crutch words and convert them into active verbs.
6. Sports heroes and hunks:
Whether you’re writing a steamy romance about a gorgeous hunk who plays quarterback, a mystery about a counterfeiter who fakes valuable baseball cards, or an autograph collector who’s also a detective or a red carpet reporter, you need to know the lingo.
From the loser’s locker room to giving 110 per cent, here’s a guide to sports clichés. Where would the pre-game and post-game shows be without them?
Speaking of sports, the sports memorabilia market has its own terms and slang.
The Grand Slam and beyond: baseball terms and expressions.
From basketball to volleyball, sports lingo has you covered.
7. Food and wine:
Writing about a sommelier in a five-star restaurant? The blocked cookbook author who’s rescued by the friendly ghost of Julia Child? The wine taster to a king or a billionaire? A romantic jaunt through the wine country of Burgundy or the Napa Valley?
100 verbs for recipes from Julia Child.
You’ll need to refer to the vocabulary of vintages and winemakers for wine tasting terms.
You’ll find more wine words and terms in Robert Parker’s glossary.
A wine dictionary can also come in handy.
Writing about a restaurant? You’ll need this guide to kitchen slang.
Writing a cookbook? Adding a recipe to a cozy mystery? Try this glossary of cooking terms.
A simple guide to basic cooking words.
Need to write a recipe? Here’s the how-to—with pictures.
8. Soldiers, Sailors and Marines:
The Sixties Project compiled an extensive list of military terms from Viet Nam and the Sixties.
World War II military slang and jargon.
Extensive glossary of military slang.
Urban Dictionary’s in-depth list of military slang. Here is where you will find out what Fred means.
Marine Corps slang and jargon, not always politically correct. Ditto Leatherneck Lingo.
9. Cops and spies—insider slang and jargon:
Not for prudes: an A-Z guide to cop terms and slang.
Not according to Emily Post: 54 words for a police officer.
From blowback to bang and burn, the world of espionage has its own lingo.
Spook speak has the intel on CIA slang.
10. Ballerinas, hard hats, and geek speak:
From pliés to pointe shoes, the American Ballet Theatre offers a dictionary of ballet terms with videos.
From 2 and a blue to ass gasket, a guide to union lingo and on-the-job slang and jargon.
Framing to flooring, construction guys and gals have a word for it.
How to talk hacker for non-programmers.
From glitch to gritch, the hacker’s dictionary explains.
11. Even writers have slang, jargon, insider lingo and our own words.
Every group has its own special vocabulary. Including writers. Inciting incident, WIP, or cliff hanger, anyone?
Einstein said “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Which means that words are writers’ toys.
So play with them, be sure to have fun, and go into NaNoWriMo with le mot juste at your fingertips.
by Ruth Harris (@RuthHarrisBooks) October 30, 2016
What about you, scriveners? Have you wanted to use a carefully placed bit of slang or jargon but didn’t know where to look? I’m especially intrigued by the ballet terms (can you tell?) Which ones most interest you?
If you’re wondering what Anne’s up to this week, she’s got a new post up at Poisoning People for Fun and Profit.
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Great post, and I agree with your insights. Just a little jargon, like a dash of cayenne, can add zip. Too much, and you have an indigestible mess.
Mike—Thanks! Well said! To be used with discretion.
Wow, where to begin?
Good to know there are polite cuss words. I’ve tried to keep mine tame.
Exploring the wine dictionary could be dangerous.
And what word is better than awesome? It’s awesome!
Alex—I’d forgotten about polite cuss words until I researched this post. Then I remembered “Oh, sugar!” from my youth.
Thank you so much, Ruth and Anne. There is a goldmine of info links here. Just the one to BuzzFeed’s Style Guide is worth the price of admission! Hope you don’t mind but I took the liberty of linking this post on the resource page on my website.
Garry—Love the BuzzFeed Style Guide, too. The world needs this! Thanks for the link!
MOST military slang is politically incorrect, not just the Marine Corps. But if you were writing about characters in the military, I’d recommend something different. I did a class for Forward Motion on the military for non-military, which I turned into a book called Writer’s Guide to Military Culture. It really made me think about what a writer would need to know, and it’s not slang and profanity.
You’ll get more bang for your research time focusing on understanding the rank structure and the difference between officers and enlisted. It’s the entire structure of the military and the first thing every soldier learns. Yet, I’ve run into books where the writer gives the officer an enlisted job or thinks the military is made up of officers (Star Trek is very guilty of this. Officers make up a small percentage of the military).
Linda—Thanks. Interesting point about officers making up a small per cent of the military.
18% officers; 82% enlisted. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/military/military-careers.htm
What’s not to love about words! This is a terrific resource, thanks Ruth.
Writing epic fantasy, of course you can make up pretty much any word you like, but you carry the weight of making the meaning utterly clear from context. Writing about military formations, weapons and tactics in one of my tales was certainly fun- we steal the language of the ancient-medieval world for that and it has about the same effect! Meaning, folks don’t really know what a phalanx is or how well a drawn bow works versus a crossbow, we still have to show what happens without assuming too much.
When in doubt, of course, just get some characters wounded and the reader’s sympathy will kick in!
Will
Will—Love your point about making up your own words. That does sound like fun!
WOW. This is a gold mine of great sources. Thanks heaps, Ruth. I’m a certifiable word-dude & I hadn’t discovered half of the sites you suggest here. Thanks & tanks again.
CS—Hope you find some nuggets in this gold mine! 😉
You’re a mine of information, Ruth, thanks so much for sharing! Since French is my mother tongue, I have a visceral liking for etymology, shall check out that dictionary!
Claude—Thank you. Have fun! 🙂
Another fabulous post. Thank you for the plethora of resources! My current WIP is set in the 60’s and I found this site for slang from that decade: http://fiftiesweb.com/pop/slang60-z/. I also found one that is a list of slang words for marijuana. I hope the DEA never ends up with my computer. haha
Eldonna—Glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for the 60’s slang link…much appreciated! How come you didn’t share the link for stoner slang? 😉
What a GREAT post. Thank you so much for this. I just so happen to be in the editing phase of my book and I’m going through all the dialogue, trying to make it not stilted and same-o, same-o. It can be hard to make talking appear real and interesting. Your suggestions and tips and links are a wonderful resource. Thank you. Words to use instead of “said” is especially helpful for me.
Patti
Patti—Thank *you* for the kind words. Anne and I appreciate hearing that our posts are relevant, practical, and useful. 🙂
Ruth, another amazing post with so much fantastic information right at our fingertips. I’m checking out the WWII slang first just in case my Lovers and Liars cast decides to have a reunion in the near future. BRAVA!
Best,
Paul
Paul—Thanks! Will your L&L cast enjoy using WWII slang? Homage to the “good old days”?
What a fun list. Thank you. I’ve already checked out several of your links!
I, of course, have my own list for “vintage specific” slang terms used around Big Band music and swing dancing!. Here’s my list if you need some jazzy swing dance slang: http://wp.me/P3czXo-c
Interestingly, I was rejected by one agent for my use of slang, but now my slang usage is mentioned in many of my 5-star reviews for one of the bits they loved about my novels.
I will also add, that I think slang works best in dialogue or first person limited POV. Do you agree?
swiveltam—Thanks for the kind words—and for the link. Much appreciated! Thanks, too, for helping put “rejection” into perspective. What one agent doesn’t like, many reviewers just love! Agree about dialogue/first person although, as with everything, there could be exceptions.
This post is fabulous! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m forwarding it to all the members of my critique group.
Jeanne—Thank you, thank you, thank you! 😉
Glad you cautioned about overuse of substitutes for SAID.
bethhavey—Glad you pointed this out. “Thesaurus affliction” is a mark of the amateur. Writers must proceed with caution. 🙂
HELP! You’re drowning me in a Tsunami of words. Actually, thank you for this post. As has happened before, you provided the answer before I had formulated the question.
David—Glad to be of service!
Thanks so much for sharing this wealth of information on great sites for words! 🙂
dgkaye—Thank you for the kind words!
Thank you Ruth for always sharing these nuggets with us. 🙂
Thanks for this great list of links for writers. You are so generous.
Donna—Thanks! Hope you find something useful. 🙂
Thanks for the Brit-orientated Green’s Dictionary of Slang! I like that one. 😀
Eiry—Glad to hear you found something you enjoyed!
I didn’t mean to imply that it was the only one I enjoyed. The others are useful too. However, I found Green’s dictionary rather fun. I suppose I’d only ever considered using Roget’s Thesaurus and the occasional online check to see if I’d used a word that meant something horrific in youngster’s street slang. My WIP is not a contemporary novel and is not even in this world, let alone era.
Actually, I’m currently watching an anime [Japanese animation] a fiction that is about the creation of a special dictionary called The Great Passage [Fune wo Amu] – to take us through life. I think it’s beautiful.
‘The vast ocean of words.
Without a means to cross the ocean,
We can only stand and watch,
Keeping desperately the words we want to express inside.
A dictionary is a ship that is able to cross that ocean.’
[Amateur translation of course]
As a novice writer, I love both yours and Anne’s postings and find them balancing much of the difficulties of writing and publishing.
Eiry—Anne and I appreciate your kind words. Thanks, too, for the inspiring Japanese quote!
Great post – thanks!
Vince— Thank *you*!
Wow, Ruth! Amazing resource. This could not have come at a better time. Thanks so much!
Sue—Thank *you*! I love slang & jargon. We all use it but rarely talk about it so I thought it would make an interesting post. Hope you find something usable!
Thanks for linking to two of my word lists, Ruth.
You introduce writer resources here that I’ve never seen. I’ll be exploring each one over the next several days.
Bravo!
Kathy—Thank *you* for the excellent, inspiring lists. Hope you find some treasures during your explorations!