Type each of those into your “Word” computer program and each will come up with that red squiggly line that tells you that you spelled it incorrectly or that it isn’t a word. Each, though, is among the new words added this month to the trusted Oxford dictionaries. Oh what a tangled web we…
Most, to me, aren’t real words (well, I was right up until July anyway) and most won’t
be words a year from now, other than because Oxford has deemed them dictionary-worthy, thus real words (did I mentioned what a tangled web we weave?).
All of those, and more, are among the words Oxford says are to be taken “srsly” (that would be “seriously” to you traditionalists, and another new dictionary entrant). By the way “srsly” is an adverb, Oxford says, and has its origins (I’m not making this up) in the late 18th century when it apparently was used in shorthand (which isn’t English, at least last time I looked).
I’m no fuddy-duddy, which comes up with no red squiggly line because it, indeedy (not a word) is a word (or at least a hyphenated word in the Merriman-Webster dictionary, but seriously, folks? Srsly??? Maybe in “texting” (which is in the
Oxford dictionary). Oh the things we learn. I still cringe when I hear “-ize” words. Remember when that was the trend? Everything got “-ized.” And those words found their way into dictionaries too.
I hate to list all the new words here…that would take away your fun of finding them on your own. But a few I’ll mention but not define: grats, guac, selfie, twerk (Ok, thanks to Miley Cryus we’ve all looked that one up the past few days), flatform, and the list goes on.
One other new addition is squee which is to squeal in delight or excitement.
I’m unsqee-ed about all this. Look for that in the next edition of Oxford.
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