A WHOLE HOST of buzzwords, foreign terms, and slang have been added to the dictionary today.
So if you’ve heard of a “manic pixie dream girl” but have no idea what it is, or you’ve had trouble explaining “manspreading”, official definitions are now at hand.
The free online dictionary of current usage, created by the publishers of the venerable Oxford English Dictionary (OED), today issued its quarterly update.
It contains new words that have gained widespread currency in the English language. Here’s a sampling from the list:
—wine o’clock, n: same as above, only with wine
—butt dial, v.: calling someone accidentally with your mobile phone in a rear pocket
—hangry, adj.: (informal) bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
—rando, n: (informal) a person one does now know, especially one regarded as odd, suspicious, or engaging in socially inappropriate behaviour.
Those behind the OED point out the influence of recent news events on the new additions, which include Grexit, Brexit and swatting, which is defined as:
The action or practice of making a hoax call to the emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.
Technology and gaming culture continue to have an influence on what the dictionary considers worth including.
Today, we got formal definitions for these terms: Redditor, subreddit, rage-quit and pwnage – “the action or fact of utterly defeating an opponent or rival (especially in video gaming.)”
Words associated with what is sometimes labelled political correctness, have also had a bearing on the new list, with the following meriting introduction:
—fat-shame, v: cause (someone judged to be fat or overweight) to feel humiliated by making mocking or critical comments about their size.
—man-spreading, n.: the practice whereby a man, especially one travelling on public transport, adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat or seats
—microaggression, n.: a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority
You can read the full list here.
Contains reporting by the Associated Press.
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