Dictionary of Americanisms

John Russell Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms is a fascinating look at the words that actually came out of the mouths of early 19th-century Americans. It's also a window into U. S. history, with tiny essays on early political parties (the Democratic party, for example, was known as the "Loco-foco" after an incident of the kind which won't surprise observers of the political process), economics (how bears and bulls went to Wall Street), and culture (both strong drink and the Millerites); its collection of quotes offers later readers examples from a wide variety of early-19th-century works (everything from Congressional speeches to popular novels). And where else are you going to find discussions of words like "sanctimoniouslyfied" and "absquatulate"? or of phrases like "acknowledge the corn" and "red dog money"?

This ebook presents the first edition of Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, published in 1848, with reviews from 1848-1849.