“GDoS Online [Green’s Dictionary of Slang] was launched two years ago, in October 2016. Since then there have been seven updates, the latest is forthcoming at the end of this month, and the dictionary has been expanded, improved and, not least corrected. There are now just over 55,000 headwords, within which can be found nested, i.e. included at the primary noun, verb and sometimes adjective:

• 1,278 derivatives
• 18,776 compounds
• 19,880 phrases

All of which are backed up by 640,451 illustrative citations. My initial aim was to offer the dictionary in two formats: one would be free and permitted users to see A [the word, its compounds, phrases and derivatives, plus all pertinent senses] + B [an etymology] and C [a definition]. For those who were willing to pay a subscription there would also be D [the illustrative citations that show a term’s historical development]. An update, including both new terms of slang (whether from the past or present) and new citations (which meant that subject to research the much-desired ‘first recorded use’ of a given term would be continually shifted backwards) was to be added every three months. In the two years that the dictionary has been on line there have been added:

• 2,215 new slang words and phrases
• 3,045 ante-dates, i.e.  earlier examples of first recorded use
• 19,947 new citations

Two years into the project, and having no intention to abandon my researches, I have decided that the dictionary in its entirety – headwords, etymologies, definitions and citations – will henceforth be made available for free…”