<p><b>For the 411 on American slang, this guidebook is the top banana</b></p><p>From "head trip" to "foot in mouth," <i>American Slang Dictionary</i> gives you the complete definitions of thousands of uniquely American words and phrases, ranging from golden oldies such as "catch some rays" and "take the fifth" to more up-to-the-minute coinages like Wall Street's "jonx," the Internet's "ping," and the gangsta's favorite, "shizzle."</p><p>Inside you'll find more than 12,000 words and expressions from a wide variety of sources, including gangsta rap, the blogosphere, and the U.S. prison system. In a New York minute, you'll be down with the colloquialisms, vulgarities, and substandard English that make everyday interactions in contemporary American life so colorful.</p><p><b>BSOD or blue screen of death</b> the blue computer screen that appears after a programming or operational error<br><b>crunk</b> wild; crazy; out of control<br><b>kvetch</b> to complain<br><b>left-handed monkey wrench</b> a nonexistent tool<br><b>word of mouse</b> a message spread by e-mail<br></p>