A Dictionary Of Cantonese Slang The Language Of

A"loosestringmonkey"isaverynaughtychild.A"white-hairedguy"isatrafficpoliceofficer.TospeakCantoneseisto"speakJade."HiddenbehindthesubtitlesofHongKongmoviesbutspokenopenlyinitsstreetsarethousandsofwordsandphrases，arespectableportionofwhichareobscene.Theauthorslisthundredsofthem(obsceneandnot)alphabeticallyintranscribedCantonesetoEnglish，givetheoriginalCantonesecharacters，aconcisedefinitionincludingaliteraltranslationwhennecessary，andusageinformation.Theyalsoprovideaveryhelpfulprefacethatexplainssomeoftheconventionsbehindtheslang，alongwithprecautionsaboutintonationandcontexts，atranscriptioncomparisonlist(YaleandIPA).TheresultisawealthofinformationaboutHongKong'severydayandunderworldcultures.Annotation©2005BookNews，Inc.，Portland，OR(booknews.com)