From fashion forward to wags – there's a word for everything

Published on Wednesday 13 August 2008 22:08

IT GAVE us "bingo wings" and "Asbos" to reflect the ever-changing fads in society and fashion. And now a host of new words has entered the lexicon in the latest version of the Chambers Dictionary.

The 11th edition reveals hundreds of words and phrases that have made their way into our ever-expanding vocabulary.

Heading the list of today's preoccupations is the environment. Phrases such as green tax – a tax imposed with the intention of discouraging activities that may damage the environment, and eco-village – a small-scale, environmentally friendly settlement – demonstrate a nation's obsession with all things green.

Political developments and the war on terror have also taken their toll, giving us "blue-on-blue", which involves accidental firing on one's allies.

But it's not all doom and gloom, today's celebrity-obsessed culture has resulted in entries for "wag" – a wife or girlfriend of a professional sportsman, and "fashion forward" – creating or embracing the newest fashion trends.

Mary O'Neill, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, said the nation has a healthy appetite for etymology and TV programmes like Balderdash and Piffle, which trace the history of words have played a part in that.

"We get a dozen letters a week from people querying the origin of words and suggesting which words should be included in the dictionary.

"The dictionary reflects changing times … and in every edition we get a snapshot of the preoccupations of the current time."

A mirror of popular culture, the previous edition reflected the country's problem with young criminals, offering "Asbo" (anti-social behaviour orders).

It also gave us "bingo wings" – the flaps of skin that hang down from the upper arm.

SLEEKIT

Alex Salmond

The First Minister's favourite word originally meant smooth or sleek, but the most common meaning is now sly or cunning.

A very useful word in parliamentary debates which, when correctly aimed, has the virtue of the recipients knowing that they have been insulted but not quite sure of the full extent of the attack.

SHOOGLE

Christopher Brookmyre

The author is particularly keen on the Scottish word meaning to shake, joggle, sway, rock back and forth.

He loves it so much he tries to incorporate it into as many of his novels as possible and describes it as an "inherently amusing word, not only onomatopoeic to the ear but, by way of a visual equivalent, somehow animated when spied upon the page – those twin 'o's jostling one another to mime the definition".

BUXOM

Ali Smith

The author loves the definition of buxom – of a woman, plump and comely or busty, or lively or jolly. She also enjoys rou – a profligate, rake, debauched man, especially an old man.

FANTOOSH

Alexander McCall Smith

Topping his list of favourites, the author describes the Scottish word for fashionable, pretentious or showy as "magnificent".

TOP TEN

ELECTROSMOG: Electromagnetic fields emitted by computers, mobile phones, etc, believed by some to be harmful to health

BLUE-ON-BLUE: Accidental firing on one's allies

IED: Improvised explosive device

BLU-RAY: A method of storing data on high-capacity compact discs using a blue laser

BOTNET: An automated program that runs on its own on infected computers and is used to cause widespread damage to computing systems

QUANTUM COMPUTER: Cutting-edge technology that uses quantum mechanics to perform operations on data

METAMATERIAL: Artificially created material having properties not found in nature

EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION: The covert transporting of individuals, especially terrorist suspects, to undisclosed destinations for the purpose of interrogation

HIPs: Home information pack, a set of documents containing details about a house

WAG: Wife or girlfriend of a professional sportsman