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New words from the OED

New words from — well, for — the new Oxford English Dictionary:

discoverage (n) - The amount of media coverage given to a particular story which is disproportionate to the story’s significance. Example: The Today programme spent about 10 minutes on the new OED this morning, but 9 minutes and 50 seconds of that was pure discoverage.

kiloword (n) - A unit of measurement for the weight of a document attributed to the amount of redundant verbiage. Example: I was told the forthcoming edition was far too light, but by trawling the internet and listening to my teenage daughter and her friends I was able to increase it by about 27 kilowords.

manuchatter (vt) - To exaggerate or make something up based on what one read in an internet chat room. Example: I told my boss it was all based on solid research, but to be honest I manuchattered 90% of it.

mediographer (n) - One who purports to be a subject authority, but who is actually just a media mouthpiece. Applied particularly to lexicography. Example: That Judy Pearsall of Oxford University Press, she makes out as if she’s some linguistic expert, but she’s really just a mediographer.

prictionary (n) - A book of word definitions promoted primarily for self-serving PR purposes than for any intrinsic linguistic or cultural value it may carry. Example: That new book from Oxford University Press is frankly a complete prictionary.

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Comments

  1. MC
    Comment by MC | 2005/08/10 at 13:32:20

    I can only say…

    Samuel Johnson: This book, sir, contains every word in our English language.
    Blackadder: Every single one, sir?
    Samuel Johnson: Every single one, sir.
    Blackadder: Oh. Well, in that case, sir, I hope you will not object if I also offer the doctor my most enthusiastic… contrafibularities.


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