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Slang is an informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century. The language of slang, in common with the English language, is changing all the time; new words and phrases are being added and some are used so frequently by so many, they almost become mainstream.
The nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northen Ireland all have their own slang words, as does even London. London slang has many varieties, the best known of which is rhyming slang. Some of these terms are used in other countries, such as Australia or Canada.
Some slang was developed because of a need for secrecy, such as prison slang, believed to be derived from thieves jargon.
Slang is also used to create an identity or sense of belonging and a number of occupations have their own slang; most notably the armed forces, referred to as Forces or Service slang; and the construction industry.
The introduction acknowledges that slang is an ever changing language with new slang terms emerging all the time. It also recognises that some service slang has made its way into civilian use. Examples of this include the old naval terms, “Talking bilge” (nonsense) and “A loose cannon” (an unorthodox person with the potential to cause harm).
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