The end of the word as we know it

The publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press , have said that the latest edition may not be printed. Yes, after more than twenty years of publication, e-dictionaries and reference websites have put paid to a British institution. A team of 80 lexicographers has been working on the third edition since 1989, with […]

Mum’s Dictionary

Aeroplane: What mum impersonates to get a 1-year-old to eat puréed vegetables. Apple: Nutricious lunchtime dessert which children will trade for cupcakes. Baby: 1. Dad, when he gets a cold. 2. Mum ‘s youngest child, even if he’s 42. Bathroom: A room used by the entire family, believed by all except mum to be self-cleaning. […]

Woman to English Dictionary

She says  –  English Yes.  –   No. No.  –  No. Maybe –  No. You want  –  You want We need  –  I want It’s your decision.  –  The correct decision should be obvious by now. Do what you want.  –  You’ll pay for this later.We need to talk.  –   I need to complain.Sure […]

The Millionth English Word

US web monitoring firm, Global Language Monitor, has declared the millionth Englith word to be “Web 2”, which is a term used for the latest generation of web products. (They trawl the internet for new words and terms and once a word or phrase has been used at least 25,000 times, it accepts it. Seemingly […]

New Words 2008

Quite a few new words and phrases have entered the Chambers Dictionary this year. Here are some of the more interesting ones:- Blue-on-blue – fire from one’s own side or allied forces, as opposed to fire coming from enemy forces, sometimes called friendly fire. Blu-ray – a blue laser used to read and write discs. […]