Oxford's "Oxford Dictionaries," the part of the company that aims to keep the English language current via popular trends, has legitimized several dozen slang words and Internet terms by adding them to its listings. The quarterly update, dated August 13, 2014, includes words and phrases like "acquihire," "amazeballs," "binge-watch," "douchebaggery," "hot mess," "live-tweet," "mansplain," "side boob" and many more.
Worth noting is that the database these words have been added to is not the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary. That's considered the high standard, real deal, accept-no-substitutes Dictionary which has much stricter requirements before a new word is allowed entry.
Here's a selection of some of the most interesting new Oxford Dictionaries words. (Grown-ups are advised to learn these terms to stay relevant to modern culture.) All definitions are taken from oxforddictionaries.com, and are often as entertaining as the words themselves.
acquihire: the act of buying out a company primarily for the skills and expertise of its staff, rather than for the products or services it supplies
adorbs: arousing great delight; cute or adorable
air punch: the act of thrusting one's clenched fist up into the air, typically as a gesture of triumph or elation
amazeballs: extremely good or impressive; amazing
binge-watch: to watch multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming
brick: to cause a smartphone or other electronic device to become completely unable to function, typically on a permanent basis
bro hug: a friendly embrace between two men
clickbait: Internet content, especially that of a sensational or provocative nature, whose main purpose is to attract attention and draw visitors to a particular web page
cord cutter: a person who cancels or forgoes a pay television subscription or landline phone connection in favour of an alternative Internet-based or wireless service
cray: crazy; sometimes used twice in a row
Deep Web: the part of the World Wide Web that is not discoverable by means of standard search engines, including password-protected or dynamic pages and encrypted networks
douchebaggery: obnoxious or contemptible behavior
fandom: the fans of a particular person, team, fictional series, etc. regarded collectively as a community or subculture
fast follower: company that quickly imitates the innovations of its competitors
FML: "f*ck my life!"
fratty: characteristic of a student fraternity or its members, often with reference to rowdy behavior
hate-watch: to watch a television program for the sake of the enjoyment one derives from mocking or criticizing it
hot mess: a person or thing that is spectacularly unsuccessful or disordered
humblebrag: an ostensibly modest or self-deprecating statement whose actual purpose is to draw attention to something of which one is proud
hyperconnected: characterized by the widespread or habitual use of devices that have Internet connectivity
ICYMI: "in case you missed it"
listicle: an article on the Internet presented in the form of a numbered or bullet-pointed list
live-tweet: post comments about an event on Twitter while the event is taking place
mansplain: a man explaining something to someone, typically a woman, in a manner regarded as condescending or patronizing
neckbeard: a man who is socially inept and physically unappealing, especially one who has an obsessive interest in computing
pharmacovigilance: the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs after they have been licensed for use, especially in order to identify and evaluate previously unreported adverse reactions
side boob: the side part of a woman's breast, as exposed by a revealing item of clothing
side-eye: a sidelong glance expressing disapproval or contempt
smartwatch: a mobile device with a touchscreen display, designed to be worn on the wrist
SMH: "shaking my head"
subtweet: a post on Twitter that refers to a particular user without directly mentioning them, typically as a form of furtive mockery or criticism
throw shade: publicly criticize or express contempt for someone
trigger warning: a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc. alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material
vape: inhale and exhale the vapour produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device
WDYT: "what do you think?"
YOLO: "you only live once"
