It's been pointed out to me that, as of late, dictionaries have been looser in their acceptance of new words. Will this result in lingual chaos? Who knows. The least I can say is that very few of these new words are gems, while others like "ginormous" leave me worried about the ability of the internet to abet in the legitimization and spread of unfettered verbiage.Here is a sampling of some new words of note that can now all be found in your handy dictionary--though spell check has yet to recognize them:
smackdown (thank you Jerry Springer and WWF)
n. 1 : the act of knocking down or bringing down an opponent 2 : a contest in entertainment wrestling 3 : a decisive defeat 4 : a confrontation between rivals or competitors
shoulder-surfing (no, it's not what you do in a pit at a rock concert)
n. the practice of spying on the user of a cash-dispensing machine or other electronic device in order to obtain their pin, password, etc.
n. 1 : the act of knocking down or bringing down an opponent 2 : a contest in entertainment wrestling 3 : a decisive defeat 4 : a confrontation between rivals or competitors
shoulder-surfing (no, it's not what you do in a pit at a rock concert)
n. the practice of spying on the user of a cash-dispensing machine or other electronic device in order to obtain their pin, password, etc.
metrosexual (talk about reinforcing stereotypes!)
n, adj. a heterosexual male who has a strong sense and inordinate interest in appearance and style. similar to that of homosexual males
speed dating (finally legitimizing the perfect dating tool for our attention-dysfunctional society)
n. an event at which each participant converses individually with all the prospective partners for a few minutes in order to select those with whom dates are desired
n.
ginormous (how unclever and unnecessary)
adj. extremely large, humongous; gigantic + enormous
n, adj. a heterosexual male who has a strong sense and inordinate interest in appearance and style. similar to that of homosexual males
speed dating (finally legitimizing the perfect dating tool for our attention-dysfunctional society)
n. an event at which each participant converses individually with all the prospective partners for a few minutes in order to select those with whom dates are desired
n.
ginormous (how unclever and unnecessary)
adj. extremely large, humongous; gigantic + enormous
locavore (in my opinion, the only new word of value that I could find)
n. a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced food
And surprisingly enough, much of the best new slang has yet to reach the editors of Merriam-Webster, though at least the Urban Dictionary is carrying some of the winners like:
earworm
n. a song that sticks in your mind, and will not leave no matter how much you try to get rid of it
buildering
n. rock climbing or bouldering on buildings, public art, bridge supports, etc. done away from security guards and usually without a rope
bootsy
adj. beyond terrible: just horrible
linner
n. the meal between lunch and dinner, just as brunch is the meal between breakfast and lunch
n. a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced food
And surprisingly enough, much of the best new slang has yet to reach the editors of Merriam-Webster, though at least the Urban Dictionary is carrying some of the winners like:
earworm
n. a song that sticks in your mind, and will not leave no matter how much you try to get rid of it
buildering
n. rock climbing or bouldering on buildings, public art, bridge supports, etc. done away from security guards and usually without a rope
bootsy
adj. beyond terrible: just horrible
linner
n. the meal between lunch and dinner, just as brunch is the meal between breakfast and lunch
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