Youâve captured the OUP offices perfectly, Rob. How did you know?
I must offer a correction. âTwerkâ is NOT in the Oxford English Dictionary. Itâs in Oxford Dictionaries Online.
BBC made the error in their article in the headline and under-the-headline bit, but the rest of the article correctly identifies ODO, not OED. (It is, admittedly, a frequent source of confusion for many.)
A few years ago âdâohâ was added to the OED. Even though there were examples of its usage dating back as far as 1945 Homer Simpson was cited as a primary influence in its addition. A few years after that âbootyliciousâ, with examples dating back to 1992, was added. The additions of âTwerkâ and âselfieâ seem merely to be another day at the office for the great old dictionary.
And it really shouldnât come as a surprise given the OED 's early history and its association with madness.
The dictionary contains other popular slang words, so it comes as no surprise to find twerk and selfie being added as well.
Thank you, Tavie. I have corrected the error in the headline.
Let it be known that we value accuracy and truthfulness here at Boing Boing.
After 15+ years of being a thing, whoda thunk all it took to get popular was having a young white girl do it?
Iâm just sad that Suzanne Hadden Elginâs definition never caught on. But then, if youâre twerking, itâs hard for other people to take what you say seriously. (Her definition: a quality in a speaker that detracts from the overall message; as in âAmong her other twerks, her insistence in wearing a purple plush top hat and rabbit ears made Maybelleâs astute analysis of the local sewerage system difficult to follow in the hearing of the planning and zoning board.â)
This confusion surrounding the addition of âtwerkâ to the OED vs the ODO is widespread and has become its own news story:
donât I know it!
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