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The OED is awesome

04/19/2011 By Ellen Beals Leave a Comment

Like most writers, I love words.  Back in March the Oxford English Dictionary made the news because of its list newly accepted words and phrases.  Tinfoil hat, muffin top and couch surfing were some of the new words the media picked up on, but if you relied simply on what was in the news reports, you have missed out on a lot.  The OED site is wonderful, not at all stodgy or fusty, but approachable and well-written.  At this point, I can’t afford a subscription to the OED, but there is plenty on the site that is free and interesting. So, check it out.

In the meantime, see if you know the definitions to these new words:

  • about round, adv.
  • ambigram, n.
  • banh mi, n.
  • Barnard’s star, n.
  • bet-hedging, n.
  • bet-hedging, adj.
  • biker, n.
  • biologic, adj. and n.
  • calligram, n.
  • car crash, n.
  • couch surf, v.
  • couch surfer, n.
  • couch surfing, n.
  • cream crackered, adj.
  • crème de cassis, n.
  • Divehi, n.
  • dot-bomb, n. and adj.
  • dotted line, n. and adj.
  • drill-down, n.
  • dubplate, n.
  • Dutch colonial, adj. and n.
  • ego-surf, v.
  • ego-surfing, n.
  • English colonial, adj. and n.
  • fabless, adj.
  • fnarr fnarr, int. and adj.
  • gnasher, n.
  • gremolata, n.
  • headline, v.
  • headlined, adj.
  • headlining, adj.
  • hentai, n.
  • heteronormative, adj.
  • heteronormativity, n.
  • Hindutva, n.
  • June, n.
  • kleftiko, n.
  • la-la land, n.
  • lari, n.
  • LOL, n.1
  • LOL, int. and n.2
  • lumpenintelligentsia, n.
  • meep, n. (and int.)
  • meep, v.
  • muffin top, n.
  • non-dom, n.
  • non-domicile, n.
  • non-domiciled, adj.
  • OMG, int., (n.), and adj.
  • pap, n.5
  • pap, v.3
  • party-crasher, n.
  • party-crashing, n.
  • party-crashing, adj.
  • radioprotectant, adj. and n.
  • rotograph, v.
  • rotoscope, v.
  • rotoscoped, adj.
  • rotoscoping, n.
  • rototill, v.
  • rototilled, adj.
  • rotten egg, n.
  • Rotterdammer, n.
  • Rottie, n.
  • rottle, n.2
  • rotty, adj.
  • rouding time, n.
  • rough-cut, adj.
  • rough-cut, v.
  • rough-dress, v.
  • roughed-in, adj.
  • rough-in, n.
  • roughstock, n.
  • roulade, v.
  • roulading, n.
  • roulette, v.
  • roundman, n.
  • round-nose, adj. and n.
  • round-trip, v.
  • roupily, adv.
  • Roussanne, n.
  • roustabouting, n.
  • routed, adj.2
  • router, n.6
  • routery, n.
  • routineness, n.
  • rowdily, adv.
  • rowed, adj.3
  • rower, n.3
  • rowlock, n.2
  • Royal Free disease, n.
  • royalness, n.
  • rozzle, v.
  • RSA, n.2
  • Rt. Rev., n.
  • Rt. Revd., n.
  • Ru, n.
  • rua, n.
  • ruach, n.
  • rub-a-dub, v.1
  • rubber-banded, adj.
  • rubberization, n.
  • rubberize, v.1
  • Rubisco, n.
  • rubrene, n.
  • rubrification, n.2
  • rubus, n.
  • ruck, v.7
  • ruckly, adj.2
  • rude, n.1
  • rudimentarily, adv.
  • ruesome, adj.
  • ruff, n.10
  • ruff, int. (and n.11)
  • rufiyaa, n.
  • Rugby sevens, n.
  • rugelach, n.
  • rugulate, adj.
  • ruleful, adj.
  • rumble-de-thumps, n.
  • Ruminal, adj.1
  • rumminess, n.1
  • rumour control | rumor control, n.
  • Rumping, adj.
  • rumspringa, n.
  • run-and-shoot, adj. and n.
  • runathon, n.
  • runchick, n.
  • Rungu, n.
  • runiform, adj.
  • run-round, n.
  • ruote, n.
  • Rupert, n.
  • RUPP, n.
  • Ruppia, n.
  • rural economics, n.
  • Rurales, n.
  • ruralite, n.
  • Russellite, n.1 and adj.
  • Russellite, n.2
  • Russellite, n.3
  • Russophilia, n.
  • Russophobic, adj.
  • Russophone, n. and adj.
  • russula, n.
  • rusticate, adj.
  • rusticator, n.
  • rusticle, n.
  • Rusyn, n. and adj.
  • Ruthenic, adj.1
  • ruthenous, adj.
  • Ruthian, adj.
  • rutinic, adj.
  • rutting, n.2
  • ryanodine, n.
  • ryotei, n.
  • ryugi, n.
  • Second Coming, n.
  • singledom, n.
  • Skidi, n. and adj.
  • smack talk, n.
  • smack talking, n.
  • smack-talking, adj.
  • spinback, n.
  • state-run, adj.
  • stonewash, n.
  • stonewash, v.
  • stonewashed, adj.
  • suicide door, n.
  • taquito, n.
  • tetri, n.
  • tinfoil hat, n.
  • Wag, n.4
  • wassup, int.
  • yidaki, n.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: couch surfing, muffin top, OED, Oxford English Dictionary, tinfoil hat, words, writers

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