New words that have entered the English language....
How muffin top and other celebrity-related words got into the dictionary
The celebs who sum up the English language's newest words
5th June 2007
Daily Mail
They're not words you would easily imagine a serious-minded wordsmith poring over - but no one could deny they are a reflection of our age.
Yesterday, the Mail revealed how the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary contains a host of new words such as 'muffin top' and 'cankle' which describe either modern physical trends or celebrity foibles.
Here, in a spirit of fun, we suggest just which stars those dictionary compilers might have had in mind.
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bromance
n. Informal.
A close but nonsexual relationship between two men.
(c21: a blend of bro(ther) + romance)
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cankle
n. informal
A thickened area between the calf and ankle in an overweight person, obscuring where one ends and the other begins.
(c21 from c(alf) + ankle)
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hairdryer treatment
n.
Brit informal (esp in sport). The practice of shouting at someoneat close quarters in order to express one's displeasure at something he or she has done.
(c21 from the supposed similarity between this experience and having a hot hairdryer too close to one's head.)
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budgie smugglers
pl n. Australian informal.
Men's close-fitting swimming trunks. Prime Minister-in-waiting Malcolm Turnbull was lampooned in The Australian for 'parading in ill-advised budgie smugglers that left very, very little to the imagination and were stupendously un-prime ministerial'.
(The Australian)
----------------
Croydon facelift
n. Brit informal dismissive.
The tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face, caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail.
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tanorexic
adj and n. Informal.
1 adj. obsessed with maintaining a permanent deep tan, esp through use of tanning machines. 2 n. a tanorexic person.
(c21 a blend of tan and anorexic)
------------------
celebutante
n.
A young woman from a wealthy background who becomes a celebrity.
(c20 from celeb(rity) +(deb)utante).
-----------------
muffin top
n.
Informal. A roll of flesh spilling over the top of a tight skirt or trousers, esp when the midriff is exposed.
(c21 from the similarity of this to a muffin expanding over its case)
Britney Spears: A perfect muffin top
---------------------
McMansion
n. informal disparaging
A large modern house considered to look mass produced, lacking in distinguishing characteristics, and at variance with established local architecture.
(c20 a corruption of McDonald's, a major American fast-food enterprise noted for the ubiquity of its restaurants)
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Wag
n. informal
The wife or girlfriend sportsman.
(c21 a back formation from an acronym forw(ives) a(nd) g(irlfriends))
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dykon
n. slang
A celebrity much admired by lesbians.
(c21 from dyke + icon)
-------------------------------------
size zero
n.
A very small size inwomen's clothes, originating in the U.S., equivalent to a UK size 4.
dailymail.co.uk
How muffin top and other celebrity-related words got into the dictionary
The celebs who sum up the English language's newest words
5th June 2007
Daily Mail
They're not words you would easily imagine a serious-minded wordsmith poring over - but no one could deny they are a reflection of our age.
Yesterday, the Mail revealed how the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary contains a host of new words such as 'muffin top' and 'cankle' which describe either modern physical trends or celebrity foibles.
Here, in a spirit of fun, we suggest just which stars those dictionary compilers might have had in mind.
----------------
bromance
n. Informal.
A close but nonsexual relationship between two men.
(c21: a blend of bro(ther) + romance)
---------------
cankle
n. informal
A thickened area between the calf and ankle in an overweight person, obscuring where one ends and the other begins.
(c21 from c(alf) + ankle)
----------------
hairdryer treatment
n.
Brit informal (esp in sport). The practice of shouting at someoneat close quarters in order to express one's displeasure at something he or she has done.
(c21 from the supposed similarity between this experience and having a hot hairdryer too close to one's head.)
---------------
budgie smugglers
pl n. Australian informal.
Men's close-fitting swimming trunks. Prime Minister-in-waiting Malcolm Turnbull was lampooned in The Australian for 'parading in ill-advised budgie smugglers that left very, very little to the imagination and were stupendously un-prime ministerial'.
(The Australian)
----------------
Croydon facelift
n. Brit informal dismissive.
The tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face, caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail.
-----------------
tanorexic
adj and n. Informal.
1 adj. obsessed with maintaining a permanent deep tan, esp through use of tanning machines. 2 n. a tanorexic person.
(c21 a blend of tan and anorexic)
------------------
celebutante
n.
A young woman from a wealthy background who becomes a celebrity.
(c20 from celeb(rity) +(deb)utante).
-----------------
muffin top
n.
Informal. A roll of flesh spilling over the top of a tight skirt or trousers, esp when the midriff is exposed.
(c21 from the similarity of this to a muffin expanding over its case)
Britney Spears: A perfect muffin top
---------------------
McMansion
n. informal disparaging
A large modern house considered to look mass produced, lacking in distinguishing characteristics, and at variance with established local architecture.
(c20 a corruption of McDonald's, a major American fast-food enterprise noted for the ubiquity of its restaurants)
-------------------------
Wag
n. informal
The wife or girlfriend sportsman.
(c21 a back formation from an acronym forw(ives) a(nd) g(irlfriends))
------------------------------
dykon
n. slang
A celebrity much admired by lesbians.
(c21 from dyke + icon)
-------------------------------------
size zero
n.
A very small size inwomen's clothes, originating in the U.S., equivalent to a UK size 4.
dailymail.co.uk