Bob Dylan once said, “The Times They Are a-Changin”, and every year the trusty Oxford Dictionary backs him up by adding new words which reflect the “awesomesauce” times we live in.
As Time reports, Oxford Dictionaries’ latest additions include words and phrases like “butthurt”, “bruh” and “mic drop”, because incidents of dropping the mic show no sign of slowing down.
Oxford Dictionaries focuses on modern language, unlike the more historical Oxford English Dictionary.
Because modern language is ever-changing and drenched in references to popular culture, the latest Oxford Dictionaries additions also include “pwnage” (that’s the action of destroying an opponent, typically in a video game) and “cat cafe” (which is exactly what you think it is).
The new additions also feature the gender-neutral honorific “Mx.” to stand in place of “Mr.” or “Mrs.”.
Catch a selection of the newest additions and their definitions, below.
Oxford Dictionaries Additions (Selection via Time)
awesomesauce ( adjective): extremely good; excellent
bants (noun): playfully teasing or mocking remarks exchanged with another person or group; banter
barbacoa (noun): (in Mexican cooking) beef, lamb, or other meat that has slowly been cooked with seasonings, typically shredded as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc.
beer o’clock (noun): an appropriate time of day for starting to drink beer
brain fart (noun): a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly
Brexit (noun): a term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union
bruh (noun): a male friend (often used as a form of address)
butt dial (verb): inadvertently call (someone) on a mobile phone in one’s rear trouser pocket
butthurt (adjective): overly or unjustifiably offended or resentful
cakeage (noun): a charge made by a restaurant for serving a cake they have not supplied themselves
cat cafe (noun): a café or similar establishment where people pay to interact with cats housed on the premises
cupcakery (noun): a bakery that specializes in cupcakes
deradicalization (noun): the action or process of causing a person with extreme views to adopt more moderate positions on political or social issues
fast-casual (adjective): denoting or relating to a type of high-quality self-service restaurant offering dishes that are prepared to order and more expensive than those available in a typical fast-food restaurant
fatberg (noun): a very large mass of solid waste in a sewerage system, consisting especially of congealed fat and personal hygiene products that have been flushed down toilets
fat-shame (verb): cause (someone judged to be fat or overweight) to feel humiliated by making mocking or critical comments about their size
fur baby (noun): a person’s dog, cat, or other furry pet animal
glanceable (adjective): denoting or relating to information, especially as displayed on an electronic screen, that can be read or understood very quickly and easily
Grexit (noun): a term for the potential withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone (the economic region formed by those countries in the European Union that use the euro as their national currency)
hangry (adjective): bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
kayfabe (noun): (in professional wrestling) the fact or convention of presenting staged performances as genuine or authentic
MacGyver (verb): make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand
manic pixie dream girl (noun): (especially in film) a type of female character depicted as vivacious and appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist
manspreading (noun): the practice whereby a man, especially one travelling on public transport, adopts a sitting position with his legs wide apart, in such a way as to encroach on an adjacent seat or seats
meeple (noun): a small figure used as a playing piece in certain board games, having a stylized human form
mic drop (noun): an instance of deliberately dropping or tossing aside one’s microphone at the end of a performance or speech one considers to have been particularly impressive
microaggression (noun): a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority
mkay (exclamation): non-standard spelling of OK, representing an informal pronunciation (typically used at the end of a statement to invite agreement, approval, or confirmation)
Mx (noun): a title used before a person’s surname or full name by those who wish to avoid specifying their gender or by those who prefer not to identify themselves as male or female
pocket dial (verb): inadvertently call (someone) on a mobile phone in one’s pocket, as a result of pressure being accidentally applied to a button or buttons on the phone
pwnage (noun): (especially in video gaming) the action or fact of utterly defeating an opponent or rival
rando (noun): a person one does now know, especially one regarded as odd, suspicious, or engaging in socially inappropriate behaviour
Redditor (noun): a registered user of the website Reddit
social justice warrior (noun): (derogatory) a person who expresses or promotes socially progressive views
subreddit (noun): a forum dedicated to a specific topic on the website Reddit
swatting (noun): the action or practice of making a hoax call to the emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address
weak sauce (noun): something that is of a poor or disappointing standard or quality
wine o’clock (noun): an appropriate time of day for starting to drink wine
