15 JUNE 1912, Page 26

An American Glossary. By R. H. Thornton. 2 vole. (Francis

and Co. 30s. not.)—Slang dictionaries are always of interest, and Mr. Thornton's dictionary of Americanisms is unusually well edited. On the plan of the Oxford English Dictionary he gives numerous quotations under each word in chronological order, with full references. "Rambunctious," for instance, is a good word, meaning disorderly and ferocious, for which Mr. Thornton can produce nine quotations between 1847 and 1888. We are tempted to regret Mr. Thornton's exclusion of modern American slang with all its expressiveness ; but as it is he has found material enough to fill two large volumes.