Twerking, Squee And Vom – The Oxford Dictionary Online’s August 2013 update

In the Oxford University Press’s quarterly update to the Oxford Dictionary Online (ODO), new, exciting and potentially controversial words ‘make it’ into the esteemed dictionary. The English language is constantly changing and evolving, but the latest buzzwords and slang aren’t always made to last. At Stratton Craig, we try to keep track of the next linguistic trends, just as any good copywriter should. Here’s our rundown of some of the more interesting additions.

Omnishambles – The Oxford Dictionaries UK Word of the Year 2012 has only just made it to the ODO. Coined on political comedy The Thick Of It, it’s come to mean a comprehensively mismanaged situation. ‘Omni-‘ as a prefix represents ‘all’ or ‘every’, and we’re strongly considering just attaching it to some new words and seeing what happens. Will we start omnitasking instead of multitasking? Who knows.

Selfie – A photograph taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam. Now that phones often come with a camera on the front so you can see what you’re doing, the art of the selfie has become much easier. And with so many sharing platforms to choose from selfie addicts are spoilt for choice – popular options include Instagram, Pinterest and of course, Facebook.

Squee – An exclamation used to express delight or excitement. This writer is no stranger to the art of ‘squeeing’, whether it’s at a cute dog on the bus or on spotting a pile of cupcakes. We love this cute word for its almost onomatopoeic charm – it feels more like a sound effect than an actual word.

Twerking – To ‘dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner’. Unfortunately a definition of pretty much every other dance out there, except the waltz and possibly the Charleston (jazz hands are very attractive). Twerking has been in the news recently, and frankly we wish we didn’t have to see bottoms shaking so violently in our direction.

Vom – To vomit. This is probably our least favourite of the new words on the list, simply because it make the act of being sick sound even worse.

Unlike – This word’s got a brand new meaning! The opposite of liking something on Facebook, to ‘unlike’ is to withdraw your approval of a post or status. It does seem like a logical opposite, but some of the purists amongst us worry that ‘unlike’ will eventually replace ‘dislike’ in everyday usage. We unlike this idea.

What was your favourite (or most despised) word from the August ODO update? Let us know by tweeting @strattoncraig or leaving a comment below.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/oddball/twerking-squee-vom-oxford-dictionary-onlines-august-2013-update-0600504?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=twerking-squee-vom-oxford-dictionary-onlines-august-2013-update