Another day, another slew of ridiculous words added to the dictionary. If you feared you were losing hope in humanity, these newest words might take you right over the edge.
In Oxford Dictionaries Online biggest ever update (around 1,000 new words), they’re showing you everything that’s wrong with modern life. Words like chile con queso (I blame that one on Chipotle), cool beans (something your out-of-touch uncle would say), and duck face (thanks, Instagram), are making their way to a dictionary near you.
I can’t help but wonder if someday we’re going to communicate exclusively in emojis, with no words necessary.
Here are some of the latest:
digital footprint (n.): the information about a particular person that exists on the Internet as a result of their online activity.
duck face (n.): (informal) an exaggerated pouting expression in which the lips are thrust outwards, typically made by a person posing for a photograph.
five-second rule (n.): (humorous) a notional rule stating that food which has been dropped on the ground will still be uncontaminated with bacteria and therefore safe to eat if it is retrieved within five seconds.
hawt (adj.): (chiefly US) informal spelling of “hot.”
IDC (abbrev.): (informal) I don’t care.
jel (adj.): (informal, chiefly Brit.) jealous.
lolcat (n.): (on the Internet) a photograph of a cat accompanied by a humorous caption written typically in a misspelled and grammatically incorrect version of English.
MAMIL (n.): (Brit. informal) acronym: middle-aged man in Lycra. A middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike and wears the type of clothing associated with professional cyclists.
man crush (n.): (informal) an intense and typically non-sexual liking or admiration felt by one man for another; a man who is the object of another’s intense liking or admiration.
Obamacare (n.): (in the U.S.) an informal term for a federal law intended to improve access to health insurance for U.S. citizens. The official name of the law is the Affordable Care Act or (in full) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Secret Santa (n.): an arrangement by which a group of friends or colleagues exchange Christmas presents anonymously, with each member of the group being assigned another member for whom to provide a small gift, typically costing no more than a set amount.
shabby chic (n.): a style of interior decoration that uses furniture and soft furnishings that are or appear to be pleasingly old and slightly worn.
tech wreck (n.): (informal) a collapse in the price of shares in high-tech industries.
the ant’s pants (n.): (Austral. informal) an outstandingly good person or thing.
WTAF (abbrev.): (vulgar slang) what the actual f-ck.
xlnt (adj.): (informal) excellent
