Abstract

Bruce Moore. Australian Dictionary Publications, 2023. 252 pages. ISBN 9780645955002

In 1972, a group of prisoners at Parramatta Jail in Sydney put together a glossary of prison words and phrases. It is a list of 362 words with definitions.The major part of the book is a detailed edition of the words and phrases that make up the Parramatta Jail Glossary. It explains what the words mean and where they came from. There are extensive quotations from texts such as newspapers, novels, and autobiographies that illustrate how the words in the glossary are used in speech and writing. They bring to life the social world of the prisoners.Many of the entries provide early evidence about Australian words and meanings. This book is an important contribution to our understanding of the history of Australian English.