Lacking a word for that sensation when something is so cute you just can’t handle it? Missing that special term for the moron in your life? Well, the new additions to the Oxford English Dictionary are here to help.
A series of new words have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in its latest update – including eight Hiberno-English words, 11 Philippine-English words and 11 South African terms.
“Wouldn’t it be useful for English speakers to have a specific word for sunlight dappling through leaves… Or a word for the action of sitting outside enjoying a beer?” OED said in its latest update.
Indeed, people who speak English alongside other languages fill lexical gaps by “borrowing the untranslatable word from another language” – and when they do this often enough, the borrowed word “becomes part of their vocabulary”, OED said.
The majority of the newly added words are names of dishes or related to food – especially the terms from Singapore and Malaysia. For example, ‘kaya toast’ is a popular breakfast option of toasted bread topped with a jam made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaves; ‘steamboat’ refers to a dish of thinly-sliced meat and vegetables cooked in a simmering broth; and ‘otak-otak’ is a dish consisting of ground fish or other seafood mixed with spices and coconut milk, wrapped in banana or palm leaves.
But enough about food and grumbling stomachs. Here are our some of our favourites new additions to the OED – with only one referring to a (very) tasty dish:
Gigil (noun and adjective)
You know that feeling when something is so adorable or cute that you just can’t handle it? Well, there’s now a word in the OED for it. ‘Gigil’ (pronounced ghee-gill) is an “untranslatable” word taken from the Philippines’ Tagalog language. It is defined as a “feeling caused by anger, eagerness, or the pleasure of seeing someone or something cute or adorable, typically physically manifested by the tight clenching of hands, gritting of the teeth, trembling of the body, or the pinching or squeezing of the person or thing causing this emotion.”
Alamak (interjection)
A colloquial exclamation used to convey surprise, shock or outrage in Singapore and Malaysia. For example: “Alamak! Who thought it was a good idea to censor the Spice Girls on British radio?”
Ludraman (noun)
You all know one, so why not surprise them by calling them out with this Irish-English colloquialism? ‘Ludraman’ refers to a lazy, unproductive or stupid person. The derogatory term comes from the Irish ‘liúdramán’ or ‘lúdramán’, featured in James Joyce’s “Ulysses” where it was spelt ‘loodheramaun’.
Spice Bag (noun)
As previously stated, the majority of the newly-added words are names of dishes or related to food. And what a worthy addition ‘spice bag’ is… It is a takeaway meal “usually sold from either Chinese food outlets or fish and chip shops, typically consisting of chips, shredded deep-fried chicken, fried onions, red and green peppers, chilli peppers, and jalapeño peppers, tossed together in a bag with various spices and often served with curry sauce for dipping.” Peckish yet? The OED states that the takeaway option was invented in a Dubin restaurant called Sunflower in 2006.
Moggy (adjective)
File this one alongside ‘ludraman’. In South Africa, ‘moggy’ refers to an extremely irrational person who is out of touch with reality and who loses control of their emotions. For example: “The boss lost his shit and went absolutely moggy on that call.”
Sharp-sharp (interjection and adjective)
As an interjection, this South African colloquialism is used as a greeting or farewell. When used as an adjective, it’s a way of complimenting someone’s style or appearance, a general term of approval meaning fashionable, excellent or fantastic. For example: “Amber’s collection of t-shirts is sharp-sharp.”
Morto (adjective)
Another Irish colloquialism we’re fond of, one which refers to that feeling of mortification or extreme embarrassment. The OED cites this example for a phrase: “Our poor waiter. The bottle of wine we ordered was wax sealed. Took him ages. He was morto.” Well, lah-di-dah!
Class (adjective)
The British are obsessed with it to a lunatic degree, but this Irish term doesn’t refer to a sense of ranking or a social hierarchy. It’s a general term of approval like fantastic or great. The OED quotes the show Derry Girls to illustrate the point: “Welcome to Derry.”https://www.euronews.com/”It’s class, isn’t it?”
The OED contains more than 600,000 words, making it one of the most comprehensive dictionaries in the English-speaking world. You can check out the list of all words added in this most recent update on the OED website.
