James Hardy Vaux's 1819 dictionary of criminal slang : and other impolite terms as used by the convicts of the british colonies of Australia

Resource Information

The work James Hardy Vaux's 1819 dictionary of criminal slang : and other impolite terms as used by the convicts of the british colonies of Australia represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Randwick City Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

James Hardy Vaux's 1819 dictionary of criminal slang : and other impolite terms as used by the convicts of the british colonies of Australia

Title remainder

and other impolite terms as used by the convicts of the british colonies of Australia

Statement of responsibility

with additional true stories, remarkable facts & illustrations by Simon Barnard

Title variation

• James Hardy Vaux's 1819 dictionary of criminal slang
• Dictionary of criminal slang
• 1819 dictionary of criminal slang

Title variation remainder

and other impolite terms as used by the convicts of the british colonies of Australia : Australia's first dictionary

Creator

• Barnard, Simon

Contributor

• Vaux, James Hardy, 1782-

Author

• Barnard, Simon

Illustrator

• Barnard, Simon

Subject

• Australia -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
• Australian
• Australianisms -- Dictionaries
• Australianisms -- History -- 19th century
• Cant -- Australia -- Dictionaries
• Convicts -- Australia -- History
• English language -- Australia -- Slang -- Dictionaries
• English language -- Australia -- Slang -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc
• English language -- Terms and phrases -- Australia
• Jargon (Terminology) -- Australia -- History
• Obscene words -- Australia -- History
• Prisoners -- Australia -- History
• Slang -- Australia -- Dictionaries
• Slang -- Australia -- History
• Australia -- History -- 1788-1851
• Australia -- History -- 19th century

Genre

• Glossaries, vocabularies, etc
• Dictionaries

Language

eng

Summary

In the early 1800s magistrates in the Australian colonies were often frustrated by the language used by reoffending convicts to disguise their criminal activities and intensions. Convict clerk James Hardy Vaux came up with a useful idea- a dictionary of slang and other terms used by convicts. And so, in 1819, he compiled what was to be Australia's first published dictionary. With words such as fence (a receiver of stolen goods), flesh-bag (a shirt), flip (to shoot); galloot (a soldier), kid (a child thief), knuckle (to pickpocket), ramp (to rob out in the open), ruffles (handcuffs), screw (a skeleton key), serve (to rob), stamps (shoes) and wrinkle (a lie), Vaux's dictionary is a fascinating account of convict language, including the origins and early usage of several words that have evolved to become part of Australian English today. And Simon Barnard's illustrations and supporting accounts of individual convicts and their criminal antics complements this lively picture of Australia's convict history

Cataloging source

ANL

Dewey number

427.994

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Intended audience

• Tertiary/Undergraduate
• General

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

dictionaries