OED additions January 2020

I don’t want to risk OED mentionitis (the over mentioning of something to which one is attracted) but the latest list of additions to the Oxford English Dictionary has got me a bit broigus (irritated). All this futzing (messing about) with the language can be hard for us writers to keep up with, and how on earth am I supposed to get danfo (a yellow minibus from Lagos) into my freelance copywriting?

Macaroons and macarons

However, I am not entirely awedde (overcome with anger). We can all finally relax and watch Bake Off without getting confused between our macaroons and our macarons (meringue-like biscuits). We can also create our own bespoke beverages because tea-bag (to put your own herbs into a tea-making sachet) has at last ventured beyond the urban dictionary (entirely different and unsuitable meaning) and is now a respectable, middle class verb. I am pleased to note that chicken soup and chicken noodle soup, both of which I have been making for years are now official (goodness only knows what they were called before) but I refuse to describe any food, apart from chicken, as tasting chickeny (although come to think of it, we do have beefy, porky and turkey).

Cucamelons for tea

Regarding my hobbies. I am particularly pleased to find cucamelon (something I would like to grow this year) in the January 2020 OED additions.  I am not sure I will be investing in a couscoussier (steamer for cous cous) for the campervan but may adopt the preposition a-eastell (actually related to Nigerian politics) to add a little pep to my navigation courses.

New words and lots of rain

So far 2020 has brought us some interesting new words and lots of rain. I am hoping this latter isn’t an example of cyclonic bombogenesis (a dramatic fall in pressure) but I don’t have a barometer to check.

OED word fun

If you want to have your own word fun with the new Oxford English Dictionary lists, you can find them here. I will leave you now to work out for yourself whether or not you have a noonie…

October at the Oxford English Dictionary… new words please!