Review by Booklist Review
Biz Speak, described on its dust jacket as ``A Dictionary of Business Terms, Slang and Jargon,'' defines briefly in nontechnical language some 2,000 words and phrases from 15 areas of business accounting, advertising, finance, human resources, management, marketing, retailing, etc. For each term there is an indication of one or more areas employing the word, and for a few terms (cume, fi-fi, JAJO, MESBIC, etc.) pronunciation is also given. Many of the terms may be found in unabridged and college dictionaries and the various general business dictionaries. However, the real strength of this volume a highly selective list from so many business areas appears to lie in its attention to slang and jargon (four C's, four O's, four P's, billfold biopsy, cash cow, Little Sisters, Seven Sisters, yellow goods, etc.). It is not entirely consistent in the terms included, listing, for instance, Rustbelt and Sunbelt but not Frostbelt or Snowbelt. More Words of Wall Street defines some 2,000 investment terms in lay language. It is a companion to the writers' Words of Wall Street (favorably reviewed in RBB, December 1, 1984), which also included 2,000 terms. Both More Words and Words are examples of the specialized, type-of-business dictionary. A comparison of terms in the letters A, B, and R shows that a few terms some with little or no alteration and others with major changes are repeated from Words. In other respects More Words includes the variety of terms praised in Words: abbreviations/acronyms, slang, basic investment words, and phrases. As before, entries are often not merely defined but are amplified with examples, cross-references, etc. This title has little competition as a popular-language dictionary. There is little overlap between Biz Speak and More Words, and when there is, they may give different definitions. For instance, Biz Speak gives a definition for gray market from international business and marketing while More Words gives a totally different definition from investing. Both works may prove useful in public and academic libraries.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
