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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", " …

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  1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Childcatcher

    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

    1. Spleen

      Re: Won't someone think of the children!

      They strap you to a chair and then make you watch competitive ice dancing for hours on end.

      1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

        Re: Won't someone think of the children!

        The horror, the horror,....

  2. Moosh
    Thumb Up

    Nothing to fear, it's been happening since we started howling at each other from the tree tops

    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?

    1. Eddy Ito
      Coat

      Re: Nothing to fear, it's been happening since we started howling at each other from the tree tops

      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.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Captain DaFt

      Re: Nothing to fear, it's been happening since we started howling at each other from the tree tops

      "But what word do I turn to once we've made "Cu-" mainstream?"

      To be rudely blunt, there's always 'Belgium!'

      1. M Gale

        I propose a new word.

        Cunnilinguine.

        For when you're making a real, erm, meal out of it.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          Thumb Up

          Re: I propose a new word.

          "Cunnilinguine."

          That sounds like a candidate for the ElReg Units conversion table.

    3. earl grey
      Trollface

      Re: Nothing to fear, it's been happening since we started howling at each other from the tree tops

      But what word do I turn to....?

      Try whichever wanker is current PM.

  3. TheOtherHobbes

    I was expecting Scimitar Oryx to be an urban dictionary-style bizarre sexual perversion, probably involving the staff and stock of the Natural History Museum gift shop.

    But no - it's an actual oryx. With scimitar-ish horns.

    How very disappointing.

  4. 's water music

    happy birthday www

    if only you had thought to incorporate some way of embedding "links" within one document to another document (a "hyperlink" if you will) then the OED could have made each of the words in their list into a click-able link to the definition.

    It probably wouldn't have caught on.

    1. Steve Foster
      Joke

      Re: happy birthday www

      What do you expect from a principally "dead tree" publication?

      (is that on the list now, I wonder... hmmm, doesn't appear to be)

      1. thekeywordgeek

        Re: happy birthday www

        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.

      2. electricmonk
        Headmaster

        Re: happy birthday www

        >> 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.)

  5. Anonymous Blowhard

    For anyone wondering why "demo" is in the list

    "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".

  6. Tom_

    "toilet attendant"

    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.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "toilet attendant"

      "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.

    2. Ben Bonsall

      Re: "toilet attendant"

      Why toilet attendant? The correct term is Bog Troll

      Bog Troll (n): A man or woman who sits by the door of a public (or patrons only) toilet facility, offering (for a fee) a range of bad aftershave, soap, or soft bog roll to convenience users too drunk to slip past.

      1. Simon Harris

        Bog Troll

        "I just paid a pound not to go to the toilet!"

  7. frank ly

    Since when ...

    .. has 'demobilise' been a new word and since when has it been spelled with a '-ize' ending?

    1. Evil Auditor Silver badge

      Re: Since when ...

      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?

    2. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

      Re: Since when ...

      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.

      1. Evil Auditor Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: Since when ...

        A Non e-mouse, are you saying we're frenchised?

        1. Simon Harris
          Coat

          Re: Since when ...

          "A Non e-mouse, are you saying we're frenchised?"

          and if we use the -ize ending, are we disenfrenchized ?

    3. thekeywordgeek

      Re: Since when ...

      The -ize spelling is a quirk of Oxford's style, having its origins in -ize predating -ise.

      http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/03/ize-or-ise/

      1. Gordon 11

        Re: Since when ...

        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?

        1. Irony Deficient

          Re: Since when ...

          Gordon 11, the OED editors stated the Greek origin of -ize themselves.

        2. Captain DaFt

          Re: Since when ...

          "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"

        3. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

          Re: Since when ...

          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".

  8. Terry 6 Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    Bit disappointing really

    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.

  9. ukgnome

    Regarding shock invective beginning with "cu-"

    Ok I was curious, and now one of them CU types wants to expel me from the building. Of well, the pubs open so I might as well get cu*ted.

    1. Evil Auditor Silver badge
      WTF?

      Re: Regarding shock invective beginning with "cu-"

      "...one of them CU types..."

      The cunnilingue?!

      1. Simon Harris

        Re: Regarding shock invective beginning with "cu-"

        I called my local copper a Cu-type.

        He never did o-level chemistry and banged me up for swearing!

    2. dogged

      Re: Regarding shock invective beginning with "cu-"

      "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.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Beatboxer? nice to see they're getting with the times. Because that's a recent phenomena, around 1983 or so.

  11. Irongut

    Awww they haven't included cunto yet.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      isn't that a Fiat?

      1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

        Sounds like a combat robot

  12. Spleen

    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.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Really?

      The OED's first citation for "toilet attendant" is from 1791.

      These are new entries in the OED, not new words, necessarily.

  13. Identity

    It's a treat

    to see all these 'new' words listed as misspellings by my browser!

  14. JimmyPage Silver badge
    WTF?

    demobilized ?

    is a *new* word ?

    Where did the phrase "demobbed" come from then ? Along with the suit ?

    1. Simon Harris

      Re: demobilized ?

      Maybe it's taken on a new meaning...

      "Having one's mobile phone stolen"

  15. Elmer Phud

    Some cu * * * missed one

    "Regarding shock invective beginning with "cu-", we refer readers of robust sensibilities to the full list"

    Yet no mention of a 'Jeremy'?

  16. ElReg!comments!Pierre

    "mobile device" has gained sufficient linguistic weight...

    Why not; by the latest estimation, last year it was used 7.32 gazillion times in Apple patent submissions alone.

    1. Simon Harris

      Re: "mobile device" has gained sufficient linguistic weight...

      ..but can El Reg please stop using the word 'mobe'.

      Under no circumstances do I want to see the OED recognising that as a word!

      1. monkeyfish

        Re: "mobile device" has gained sufficient linguistic weight...

        Perhaps you'd prefer the German: Handy.

  17. Salts

    Blackadder

    Ink and Incapability :-)

  18. J.G.Harston Silver badge

    A bit late

    Surely there were thousands of demobilised soldiers in 1918. And according to AJP Taylor, the 1920s-1930s were bookended by two world wars.

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