‘Twerking’ and ‘selfie’ make Oxford dictionary – srsly…

To some readers, the picture above may just be a photo of a photo. But it is also known as a “selfie”, or a picture someone takes of themselves usually on a smartphone or webcam – and often before uploading it to a social networking site.

“Selfies” now make up 30 per cent of all pictures taken by the 18 to 24 age group – and the word has been deemed widespread enough to make it into the Oxford English Dictionary in its latest quarterly online update.

Other words influenced by technology developments include the virtual currency “bitcoin”, “hackerspace”, and “click and collect”. “Digital detox” also made the mark, proving that our reliance on technology has also bred demand for an enforced break from the screen.

To the horror of luddites across the UK, text abreviations such as “srsly” for “seriously” have also made their way in to the hallowed dictionary.

And a word first uttered in 2009 by Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, “omnishambles”, was named word of the year for 2012, after it was picked up by Labour Leader Ed Miliband last April.

‘To twerk’

The announcement that the hip-hop influenced dance “twerking” had been added to the dictionary was timely. Singer Miley Cyrus’ performance of the provocative dance move at the MTV Video Music Awards just two days ago (see below) had proved controversial, and drew complaints from parent groups.

Katherine Connor Martin, from Oxford Dictionaries Online, said “twerk” was around 20 years old and seemed to have been coined as part of the “bounce” hip-hop scene in the United States.

“By last year, it had generated enough currency to be added to our new words watch list, and by this spring, we had enough evidence of usage frequency in a breadth of sources to consider adding it to our dictionaries of current English,” she said.

“There are many theories about the origin of this word, and since it arose in oral use, we may never know the answer for sure,” added Ms Connor Martin. “We think the most likely theory is that it is an alteration of work, because that word has a history of being used in similar ways, with dancers being encouraged to ‘work it’. The ‘t’ could be a result of blending with another word such as twist or twitch.”

She added the public reaction to the craze could be compared to how “twisting” was regarded in the early 1960s, when it was first popularised by Chubby Checker’s song, the Twist.

“Only time will tell if twerking will similarly be embraced by the general public,” she added.

New words include:

Twerk, v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.

Selfie, n. (informal): a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.

Bitcoin, n.: a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.

Digital detox, n.: a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world.

Click and collect, n.: a shopping facility whereby a customer can buy or order goods from a store’s website and collect them from a local branch.

Hackerspace, n.: a place in which people with an interest in computing or technology can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge.

Food baby, n.: a protruding stomach caused by eating a large quantity of food and supposedly resembling that of a woman in the early stages of pregnancy.

Street food, n.: prepared or cooked food sold by vendors in a street or other public location for immediate consumption.

Double denim, n.: a style of dress in which a denim jacket or shirt is worn with a pair of jeans or a denim skirt, often regarded as a breach of fashion etiquette.

Geek chic, n.: the dress, appearance, and culture associated with computing and technology enthusiasts, regarded as stylish or fashionable.