Oxford Dictionaries Online, in a cutely written blog post, announced they were adding a whole bevy of online jargon, slang and abbreviations to their online dictionary. No doubt this is especially exciting news for English teachers everywhere. One can envision many a future book report beginning, “Bob Ewell is the most srsly vom-worthy character in all of To Kill a MockingBird…”
Some of the words make sense, others are kind of cringe-worthy. Below is a partial list, click here the read the whole post.
- apols – pl. n.: apologies: apols to those who have read this before
- A/W – abbreviation; autumn/winter (denoting or relating to fashion designed for the autumn and winter seasons of a particular year)
- babymoon – n.: a relaxing or romantic holiday taken by parents-to-be before their baby is born; a period of time following the birth of a baby during which the new parents can focus on establishing a bond with their child.
- bitcoin – n.: a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
- blondie – n.: a small square of dense, pale-coloured cake, typically of a butterscotch or vanilla flavour.
- buzzworthy – adj.: likely to arouse the interest and attention of the public, either by media coverage or word of mouth.
- BYOD – n.: abbreviation of ‘bring your own device’: the practice of allowing the employees of an organization to use their own computers, smartphones, or other devices for work purposes.
- cake pop – n.: a small round piece of cake coated with icing or chocolate and fixed on the end of a stick so as to resemble a lollipop.
- chandelier earring – n.: a long, elaborate dangling earring, typically consisting of various tiers of gemstones, crystals, beads, etc.
- derp – exclam. & n.: (used as a substitute for) speech regarded as meaningless or stupid, or to comment on a foolish or stupid action.
- digital detox – n.: a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.
- double denim – n.: a style of dress in which a denim jacket or shirt is worn with a pair of jeans or a denim skirt, often regarded as a breach of fashion etiquette.
- emoji – n: a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication.
- fauxhawk – n: a hairstyle in which a section of hair running from the front to the back of the head stands erect, intended to resemble a Mohican haircut (in which the sides of the head are shaved).
- FIL – n.: a person’s father-in-law (see also MIL, BIL, SIL).
- FOMO – n.: fear of missing out: anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
- food baby – n.: a protruding stomach caused by eating a large quantity of food and supposedly resembling that of a woman in the early stages of pregnancy.
- geek chic – n.: the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable.
- girl crush – n.: an intense and typically non-sexual liking or admiration felt by one woman or girl for another.
- grats – pl. n.: congratulations.
- guac – n.: guacamole.
- hackerspace – n.: a place in which people with an interest in computing or technology can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.
- jorts – pl. n.: denim shorts.
- LDR – n.: a long-distance relationship.
- me time – n.: time spent relaxing on one’s own as opposed to working or doing things for others, seen as an opportunity to reduce stress or restore energy.
- MOOC – n.: a course of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large number of people.
- omnishambles – n. (informal): a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.
- phablet – n.: a smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer.
- pixie cut – n.: a woman’s short hairstyle in which the hair is cropped in layers, typically so as to create a slightly tousled effect.
- selfie – n.: a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
- squee – exclam. & v. & n.: (used to express) great delight or excitement.
- srsly – dv. (informal): short for ‘seriously’.
- street food – n.: prepared or cooked food sold by vendors in a street or other public location for immediate consumption.
- TL;DR – abbrev.: ‘too long didn’t read’: used as a dismissive response to a lengthy online post, or to introduce a summary of a lengthy post.
- twerk – v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.
- unlike – v.: withdraw one’s liking or approval of (a web page or posting on a social media website that one has previously liked).
- vom – v. & n.: (be) sick; vomit.
Somehow fonz, meatspace, HVDY and others didn’t make the cut. Thanks a lot, Miley.
