Won't someone think of the children!
</offended mode>
If "death spiral" had been present in the Middle English, I shudder to think what sort of instrument of torture it might have been
The Oxford English Dictionary has announced the latest tranche of terms to be admitted to its hallowed pages, including some c-words so strong that neither we nor the Daily Mail dare utter them before a family readership. On the roster of almost 900 new words, new subentries and new senses we find that "beatboxer" "bestie", " …
Evolution of the language and all that!
Nice to see my favourite swear word has now reached "Fu-" status as being applicable to nearly everything, I daresay you can add it into any currently existing word for emphasis as well.
But what word do I turn to once we've made "Cu-" mainstream?
I think it will be a while before folks have the brass to make Cu mainstream because while the resistance is low most people don't want to be the conduit for such a change. It just doesn't seem fitting that some don't see Cu as noble and are so galvanized against it. I fear that havoc will be wrought by a small group determined to cast it in bronze.
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I take issue with the assertion that the OED is a primarily dead tree publication. The second edition was published on paper in 1989, but all updates are now published as the lexicographers do them to http://www.oed.com - free access to UK users with your library card number.
It's worth remembering that the OED isn't a general purpose everyday dictionary, nor is it prescriptive. It's a comprehensive historical dictionary, a constantly updating record of the language as it evolves over time. As such it includes all sorts of words including some people don't like. It certainly doesn't mandate that everyone use them, it just records them if they meet its criteria of evidence of enough use in the language.
>> What do you expect from a principally "dead tree" publication?
>> (is that on the list now, I wonder... hmmm, doesn't appear to be)
No it isn't, but that would be because they already added "dead tree" back in 2007. Way ahead of you there. (Also "treeware" which I hadn't come across before. I like that.)
"demo" has been redefined as:
n4: a type of conjuring performance in which software appears to work perfectly and ends with money vanishing from punters' wallets. See also "PowerPoint".
v: the act of convincing punters to buy software. See also "scam".
Why do they need to have these two words as a single entry? I don't understand the need when, presumably, they also have each word as an individual entry.
All the other stuff is just meh, whatever. Who cares if cur's in the dictionary or not. It's clearly part of the language either way.
"Why do they need to have these two words as a single entry?"
Because "toilet attendant" now has a specific meaning, it is more than someone who simply attends to toilets, and "passive aggressive perfume seller who hangs out in clubs by the restroom taps and expects to be paid for handing you a fucking paper towel" wasn't as snappy.
I think you've answered your question already: demobilise has been around but can newly be spelled with a z.
Seriously, there are quite a few words where I'd raise the same question. And even more others which are over my head. Not sure if I even want to know what cu**-bitten means or which anatomic conditions it requires.
And what is it with "toilet-paper"? Are we going the German way now?
when has it been spelled with a '-ize' ending
According to the Oxford Dictionary, -ize is the correct spelling, and it is not an Americanism of the British -ise. In Britain, both -ise & -ize are acceptable.
-ise appears to have come from French.
The -ize spelling is a quirk of Oxford's style, having its origins in -ize predating -ise.
Stuff Oxford - it predates it as it originates from the Greek -izein, so is etymologically correct (or better) See Eric Partridge's "Usage and Abusage".
Meanwhile, what the hell is "scientifical method"? Scientific is already an adjective, so what does the extra "al" add?
Gordon 11, the OED editors stated the Greek origin of -ize themselves.
"Meanwhile, what the hell is "scientifical method"? Scientific is already an adjective, so what does the extra "al" add?"
A rare mistake for OED. It's supposed to be "Scientific Al method", similar to the American "Redneck Engineering".
Defined as any attempt to influence a situation that's preceded by the statement, "Hold my beer a sec, I'm going to try something."
See also: "Darwin Award"
Meanwhile, what the hell is "scientifical method"?
It refers to any method which is strictly more scientificky than those that are merely scientificalesque, but strictly less than methods in the class scientifickest.
Of course, in common usage, "scientifical" is useful mostly in forming compounds such as "scientificalicious".
Some of the words seem rather ordinary, or even quaintly old-fashioned. "chugger" seems like it's been around for ever. "Demo" has been around for almost-ever. It was in general use in the 1970s.
The phrases have always bothered me a bit, because they aren't words, they're sets of words. But many of these are not new either; "science fantasy", "Rt. Hon", "Sword and sorcery" etc.
Paradoxically many of the rest have a ring of being ephemoral, which the OED is supposed to avoid. ("Bestie" was dead the minute we old folks first heard it).
Oh well, since the online (Facebook) version of Scrabble allows all sorts of crappy non-words, courtesy of Collins' Dictionary I guess it's too much to expect the OED to keep some sort of standards.
"cunted"
Actually the name of a sort-of-cocktail invented by Jim.
Half a pint of dry cider, a double JD and a bottle of melon Bacardi Breezer.
The problem with it is, you only really order one when you're drunk enough to think it's a good idea. Afterwards you're too, well, cunted to remember what a bad idea it was.
Tastes nice, though.
In terms of old words, "scissor-kick" surely trumps them all. A quick Google Books search shows it as in common usage from the 1910s onwards, in relation to swimming techniques.
The football technique (either to volley the ball while falling sideways, or as a synonym for bicycle kick) first appears in a glossary from 1967.