Well, August 2014 has seen some more new words
added to the online Oxford Dictionary. We will have to see if they stand the
test of time, and are eventually added to the paper dictionary, but if you want
to be hip and trendy you can use these in informal situations. Let’s just take
a look at a few of them.
The use of acronyms in social media, such
as facebook and twitter, continues to grow and the following are just a sample
of my favourites that are now included in the dictionary:
YOLO = you only live once, and is most often
used to explain reckless behaviour eg “I have just spent my rent money on the
most fabulous pair of shoes but YOLO!”
ICYMI = In case you missed it. This is used
to highlight an important point.
SMH = Shaking my head/shake my head, when the
word “no” just isn’t enough. This really let’s someone know that what they are
suggesting is a bad idea!
Then we have abbreviations such as “adorbs”
which is short for adorable and can be used to describe anything from a person
to a fluffy kitten!
For all the men reading this if you are described
as a “hench” take this as a real compliment, as this describes men who are seen
as strong, fit and muscular. However, when you are talking to women please do
not “mansplain”, that is explaining something to a woman in a particularly
condescending or patronizing way. An example of this could be something like “He
told me my car wouldn’t run properly without petrol, wow I’m so glad he
mansplained that!”
Another thing to watch out for is the “humblebrag.”
This has also made it into the dictionary and refers to a statement that
appears to be modest, but is made with the intention to draw attention to a
quality or achievement that the person is really rather proud of. The humblebrag
can be seen as bragging in a humble way!
Were you aware there are many new ways to
watch television? Now you can binge-watch, meaning to watch many episodes
(maybe even the whole series) in one go! This often involves losing a day of your
life sitting in front of your television or computer with drinks and snacks. Alternatively
you may hate-watch a programme. That is to say that you only watch it for the
enjoyment that is derived from making fun of it. If you are tech-savvy (another
newly added word, meaning that you have a good understanding of technical
terms), you could even live-tweet (tweet as it is happening) about the
programme that you are hate-watching- lol!
Perhaps my most favourite of the new words that
have been added to the online dictionary is “amazeballs” which can be used to describe
anything that is not just good, it’s better than good, it’s truly amazing.
We wanted to share some of these words with
you as they are different and fun, but please remember to keep their use to
informal situations, like talking to your friends on social media or by email. In
more formal situations, such as completing college work or applying for jobs,
it is prudent to use more formal language. We hope you enjoy trying out some of
these new words on your friends and family!
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