My friend recently humorously suggested that the word slang might be a portmanteau of “short language”. While this is a clever play on words, such blendings are uncommon and more contemporary. The origin of the word slang is uncertain, but it first appeared in London in the mid-18th century and initially referred to Thieves’ Cant. The most plausible theory I came across is that slang may have derived from a Germanic word meaning “sling”, symbolizing words being casually thrown around. Another possibility is that it originated from a Northern English dialect where it meant “turf”, eventually being used to describe one’s own vernacular as one’s property. There is also a resemblance to the Norwegian term slengenamn, meaning “nickname”, but a connection doesn’t seem to align chronologically or geographically.
