The dictionary society said the fast-paced and informal nature of messaging, messaging and tweeting, which only increased during the pandemic, “contributed to a vocabulary that was newly rich in effective and abbreviated expression.”
Among them: “TBH”, an abbreviation for “to be honest” and “FTW”, an abbreviation for “to win”.
Merriam-Webster explains that FTW is used “especially to express approval or support. In social media, FTW is often used to confirm a smart or ridiculous answer to a question or meme.”
And he writes that “amirite” is a quick way to write “am I right,” for example, “English spelling is consistently inconsistent, amirite?”
The coronavirus pandemic is also large in the collection of new entrants, as “super spread”, “long COVID” and “vaccine passport” have been added to the list.
Partisan politics contributed more slang to the lexicon, such as “whatboutism,” which Merriam-Webster defines as “the act or practice of responding to a misdemeanor charge by claiming that a crime committed by another is similar or more serious.” For the British, the dictionary notes that “whatabouery” is more commonly used.
The frightening “vote-a-ramas” that have become a fixture in the US Congress are explained as follows: , discuss and vote. “
And yet other new terms come from the culinary world, such as “fluffernutter,” a homemade peanut butter sandwich, marshmallow cream, and white bread.
Horchata, a cold sweetened drink made from minced rice or almonds and usually flavored with cinnamon or vanilla, also made the cut, as did chicharron, a popular snack of fried pork belly or pork skin.
As for “dad bod”? The dictionary defines this as “a figure considered typical of the average father; in particular: one who is slightly overweight and not very muscular. “