Farmhousey new words: hystericising over the OED's latest lexical fankles

The emergence of new words is a completely natural process in any language. Some extremist grammar pedants (what, you mean pedants like yourself? Just saying… Ed.) might tell you that new words are a travesty and have no place the English language. But they are wrong. It is a linguistic process that has occurred unceasingly since, as a species, we first learned to swear effectively. The technical terms for this phenomenon in English is neologism, but new words will do just as well.

The argument goes that if these new words are being used on a day to day basis by English speakers everywhere, then they are worthy of inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary. Their entry into the illustrious lexical publication gives them the same right to exist as the rich vocabulary of Shakespeare, Milton, Shelley, blah, blah, blah. In other words, they become official.

In the recent past, many have been unabashedly silly, like “bromance” or “Eeksie Peeksie” – you can look these up yourself as I’ve got a very strict word limit for this piece – or have been coined to reflect the spirit of the times, like, er, “lockdown”. No definition required there, either. The point is, every year our language throws up neologism after neologism, and it is fascinating. I promise.

So without further ado, here are a few of our favourites from the 400 new words, senses and sub-entries from the OED’s June 2020 update[1].

Bumfle, n.: “A wrinkle, pucker, or unattractive bulge in a piece of clothing, fabric, etc.”

Cheddar Man, n.: “a fossil human skeleton dated to the Mesolithic period, found in Gough’s Cave, Cheddar Gorge, in 1903.” (Are you sure that isn’t what they call you at the deli counter in your local supermarket? Ed.)

Editoring, n.: “The activity, profession, or work of an editor. Cf. editor v.”

Fankle, n.: “A tangle. Frequently in extended use: a confused or muddled state; a predicament. Esp. in (or into) a fankle.”

Farmhousey, adj.: “Resembling or reminiscent of a farmhouse or life in a farmhouse, esp. in being cosy or charmingly rustic.”

Garble, n.: “The office or position of a person who inspects and sifts spices or other commodities to ensure that any refuse is removed.”

Hystericize, v.: “transitive. To induce overwhelming excitement or frenzy in (a person or esp. a crowd of people); to make hysterical.”

Mal-intent, n.: “The intention to commit a wrongful, harmful, or criminal act; malicious intent, bad intentions.”

Shero, n.: “A female hero; a heroine.”

Slobbery, n.: “Habits or behaviour characteristic of a slob; the state or condition of being a slob; laziness, slovenliness.”

Spirit weed, n.: “Chiefly Jamaican. A tropical American plant with strongly scented foliage used in cookery and herbal medicine, Eryngium foetidum (family Apiaceae).”

The OED conducts four updates per year, with the next one scheduled for September 2020. In the meantime, why not let us know about your favourite neologisms. What do you think the OED has missed? Which word do you find utterly repugnant? We’re always happy to talk about language – or anything at all to do with writing, good design or training.

Get in touch via LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, or just send your rant to enquiries.hk@gilesagency.com.

[1] https://public.oed.com/updates/new-words-list-june-2020/#new_words