abstract:Grant Barrett (born 1970) is an American lexicographer, specializing in slang, jargon and new usage. He is also co-host and co-producer of the nationwide public radio show A Way With Words, and editor of the Official Dictionary of Unofficial English (McGraw-Hill, 2006, ISBN 0-07-145804-2), the Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang (Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-517685-5), and the award-winning web site Double-Tongued Dictionary.
There's been much debate on these pages in recent days about the spread of Americanisms - outside the US. Here, American lexicographer and broadcaster GrantBarrett offers a riposte.