SALON

Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 9:28 PM UTC

Concise Oxford Dictionary adds “sexting,” “woot”

"Current English" lexicon welcomes words that range from "cyberbullying" to "jeggings"

By

Topics: Language Police, Books,

Concise Oxford Dictionary adds

In 1911, Henry and Frank Fowler published “a completely different kind of dictionary, one that sought primarily to cover the language of its own time” — the first Concise Oxford Dictionary. This year, the 12th edition of the popular lexicon hits shelves, complete with several hundred new entries.

The “Concise” differs from its behemoth cousin, the OED, in philosophy as well as size. As the following promotional video explains, the shorter work aims to provide an accessible guide to “current English” — the language as it is actually used day-to-day — rather than a survey of its words’ historical meaning. (Where size is concerned, it’s worth noting that the new COD boasts just over 240,000 words and phrases, compared to the 20-volume OED‘s 600,000.)

The dictionary’s centenary edition has adopted words from the technological sphere — such as “cyberbullying,” “cloud computing” and “sexting” (even the exclamation “woot” can now celebrate its lexicographical coming-out) — as well as others more descriptive of lifestyle, e.g., “domestic goddess,” “cougar,” “carbon footprint” and “jeggings.” (If all these newfangled terms make you nervous, you may want to bypass the new volume and purchase a facsimile of the 1911 edition.)

At the Oxford University Press blog, Angus Stevenson provides some history, pointing out notable entries from the original edition of the “Concise”:

[In 1911, the Fowler brothers] stated that ‘we admit colloquial, facetious, slang, and vulgar expressions with freedom, merely attaching a cautionary label.’ Among the slang words they included were flapper, ‘girl not yet out [in society]‘, foozle, ‘do clumsily, bungle, make a mess of’, mag, ‘halfpenny’, piffle, ‘talk or act feebly, trifle’, and potty, ‘trivial, small.’

Dictionary compilation is a necessary, but probably largely thankless, task; we can’t resist sharing this clip from “Black Adder the Third,” in which the show’s creators imagine the agonies Samuel Johnson experienced in the course of his own lexicographical efforts.

Emma Mustich

Emma Mustich is a Salon contributor. Follow her on Twitter: @emustich. More Emma Mustich.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 3 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Video of the Day

Watch More Here »

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations