Oxford Dictionaries added new words 2014: Hawt, Man Crush, Respawn, Lolcat



For Oxford Dictionaries online's mahoosive update for December, new words are added in the domains of food, slang and abbreviations, and games and technology.

If you've been a fan of Oxford Dictionaries, you know well that the words added were checked with scrutiny which are deemed used by tons of people worldwide (mostly UK where Oxford is based) and that will stay in use for a long time. Without further ado, here are some words which I hope will make it to the printed Dictionary so I could use them seamlessly without getting proofread by people who call themselves the authority of the English language:
  1. hawt - the informal spelling of hot; I use this word a lot. It's elating to see that this word will soon be an accepted one.
  2. man crush - an intense and typically non-sexual liking or admiration felt by one man for another; In some social media, writing #nohomo will ensure that a man who appreciates the beauty of another man is not gay.
  3. catnip - someone or something that is very attractive or appealing to a particular person or group; catnip has long been a word but has found itself a new meaning. "Getting lots of like in a facebook status has become a catnip for people with confidence issues.
  4. lolcat - (On the Internet) a photograph of a cat accompanied by a humorous caption written typically in a misspelled and grammatically incorrect version of English; lolcat has been around since 2001 but was further popularized by the website I Can Has Cheeseburger on 2007.
  5. duck face - An exaggerated pouting expression in which the lips are thrust outwards, typically made by a person posing for a photograph; I'm actually surprised why this has not become a word since 2012.
  6. five-second rule - 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; an ancient word but has only been recently formally acknowledged
  7. shabby chick - A style of interior decoration that uses furniture and soft furnishings that are or appear to be pleasingly old and slightly worn
  8. Secret Santa - An arrangement by which a group of friends or colleagues exchange Christmas presents anonymously, each member of the group being assigned another member for whom to provide a small gift, typically costing no more than a set amount; In my local language, we call it Manito, Manita.
  9. respawn - (Of a character in a video game) reappear after having been killed
  10. permadeath - (In video games) a situation in which a character cannot reappear after having been killed
  11. mahoosive - exceptionally big; huge
  12. jel - short of jealous (chiefly British); I prefer to use the word jelly. "Why so jelly?"
  13. al desko - while working at one’s desk in an office (with reference to the consumption of food or meals)
  14. handsy - tending to touch other people, typically in a way that is inappropriate or unwanted; I prefer hovering hands in a picture.
  15. tomoz - slang for tomorrow

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