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Oxford Dictionaries Online Add “Ridic,” “Mwahahaha,” and Then Fittingly, “Douche”

The Oxford Dictionaries Online are an arm of the Oxford English Dictionary, with a slight difference. While the OED shows how words and meanings have changed over times, the ODO “focuses on the ...
Oxford Dictionaries Online Add “Ridic,” “Mwahahaha,” and Then Fittingly, “Douche”
Written by Josh Wolford
  • The Oxford Dictionaries Online are an arm of the Oxford English Dictionary, with a slight difference. While the OED shows how words and meanings have changed over times, the ODO “focuses on the current language and practical usage.” So it would make sense the ODO would try to keep up with the latest slang (read: bastardization of the English language).

    And the ODO is no stranger to adding internet-related words to its database, even ones that may raise a few eyebrows. Last year, the ODO added “Cyber Monday,” “Infographic,” “NSFW,” “Twittersphere,” and “ZOMG” to the list. Yeah, you didn’t just temporarily trip balls – I said ZOMG.

    And now, for their August 2012 update, the ODO has outdone itself with the addition of a couple of mind-numbingly stupid words.

    Mainly “ridic” and “mwahahaha” (that’s three “has”).

    “Debate about how many times ‘ha’ should be added to the exclamation mwahahaha – another new addition, representing ‘laughter, esp. manic or cackling laughter such as that uttered by a villainous character in a cartoon or comic strip’ – is likely to rage amongst the tweeps,” says the ODO.

    Here’s the full list of words added during this update, many of which are related to the tech/internet field:

    • date night
    • dirty martini
    • douche
    • DW
    • ethical hacker
    • genius
    • group hug
    • guilty pleasure
    • hackathon
    • hat tip
    • hosepipe ban
    • inbox
    • lifecasting
    • lolz
    • micropig
    • mwahahaha
    • OH
    • photobomb
    • ridic
    • ripped
    • soul patch
    • tweeps
    • UX
    • vajazzle
    • video chat
    • vote someone/thing off the island
    • Wikipedian

    The Oxford Dictionaries Online aren’t the only ones trying to keep up with the times. Merriam-Webster just added 16 new words for 2012, and they include gems like “f-bomb,” mash-up,” “man cave,” and “sexting.”

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