Leader comment: Scotsmansplaining how to use all these new words

At the risk of '˜Scotsmansplaining', the days when language was regarded as being set in stone are long gone.
Mansplaining and CIO are new entries in the Oxford English DictionaryMansplaining and CIO are new entries in the Oxford English Dictionary
Mansplaining and CIO are new entries in the Oxford English Dictionary

English speakers may have more than 800,000 words to choose from but every year about 1,000 others are added by the Oxford English Dictionary.

It can be confusing, particularly for those of us of advancing years, but we should probably resolve not to be such ‘snowflakes’ about it or maybe just ‘CIO’.

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'˜Me time' and '˜mansplaining' among phrases added to dictionary
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And if all this makes you unbelievably ‘hangry’, sit down, have a bite to eat and then you’ll feel a lot better. After all, everyone needs a little bit of ‘me time’ occasionally so we can show ourselves some ‘self-kindness’ (apparently).

Inventing new words does perhaps risk straying into ‘Disneyesque’ territory, but it can be used to make a point – as with ‘mansplaining’ – and, occasionally, to entertain.

So it’s perhaps not surprising that Jay-Z, once hailed as the “greatest MC of all time” by MTV, has contributed no less than five new words to the OED.

Some of us may be unclear how to use them, but do it with enough ‘swag’ and you might just get away with it.

The Scotsman certainly hopes it has …

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