In their latest — and biggest-ever —
quarterly update, Oxford Dictionaries
Online added words that remind us who
we are and what we care about in 2014.
Take xlnt (adj.) , a symbol of our desire to
skip tedious letters in today’s fast-paced
conversation. Consider digital footprint
(n.) , a phrase that encapsulates our
increasing worries about privacy and
being monitored online. Or ponder man
crush (n.) , which explains modern man’s
natural, platonic reaction to Benedict
Cumberbatch.
All told, Oxford added about 1,000 new
entries this quarter. It’s important to note
that this deluge is flowing into the branch
of Oxford that reflects modern usage —
the words we’re using now and how we
use them. The bar for entry into the
historical Oxford English Dictionary is
much higher, requiring words to prove
they have greater staying power.
Here’s a selection of the new admissions:
al desko (adv. & adj.): while working at
one’s desk in an office (with reference to
the consumption of food or meals).
chile con queso (n.): (in Tex-Mex
cookery) a thick sauce of melted cheese
seasoned with chilli peppers, typically
served warm as a dip for tortilla chips.
cool beans (exclam.): used to express
approval or delight.
crony capitalism (n.): (derogatory) an
economic system characterized by close,
mutually advantageous relationships
between business leaders and government
officials.
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.
misery index (n.): an informal measure
of the state of an economy generated by
adding together its rate of inflation and its
rate of unemployment.
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.
permadeath, n.: (in video games) a
situation in which a character cannot
reappear after having been killed.
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.
simples (exclam.): (Brit. informal) used
to convey that something is very
straightforward.
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.

Babes take note