Can You Use That In A Sentence? Dictionary Adds New Words

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Published September 2nd, 2015 at 8:00 AM

Oxford Dictionaries has added a slew of new words, and let’s just say these awesomesauce entries will have you fangirling. Rly.

Many entries are food-related:

fast-casual, adj.: 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
cakeage, n.: (informal) a charge made by a restaurant for serving a cake they have not supplied themselves
beer o’clock, n.: an appropriate time of day for starting to drink beer
hangry, adj.: (informal) bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger
wine o’clock, n.: an appropriate time of day for starting to drink wine
snackable, adj.: (of online content) designed to be read, viewed, or otherwise engaged with briefly and easily
barbacoa, n.: (in Mexican cooking) beef, lamb, or other meat that has slowly been cooked with seasonings, typically shredded as a filling in tacos, burritos, etc.
cupcakery, n.: a bakery that specializes in cupcakes

Two involve the word “sauce”:

awesomesauce, adj.: (US informal) extremely good; excellent
weak sauce, n.: (US informal) something that is of a poor or disappointing standard or quality

Several harken to recent political and social developments:

Brexit, n.: a term for the potential or hypothetical departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union
microaggression, n.: 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
social justice warrior, n.: (informal, derogatory) a person who expresses or promotes socially progressive views
fat-shame, v.: cause (someone judged to be fat or overweight) to feel humiliated by making mocking or critical comments about their size

As to be expected, a handful are tech-related:

butt dial, v.: (US informal) inadvertently call (someone) on a mobile phone in one’s rear trouser pocket
blockchain, n.: a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly
Redditor, n.: a registered user of the website Reddit
pocket dial, v.: 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

And many are just silly:

bants (also bantz), pl. n.: (Brit. informal) playfully teasing or mocking remarks exchanged with another person or group; banter
cat cafe, n.: a café or similar establishment where people pay to interact with cats housed on the premises
fur baby, n.: a person’s dog, cat, or other furry pet animal
MacGyver, v.: (US informal) make or repair (an object) in an improvised or inventive way, making use of whatever items are at hand
manic pixie dream girl, n.: (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, n.: the practice whereby a man, especially one traveling 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
mkay, excl.: (informal, chiefly US) non-standard spelling of OK, representing an informal pronunciation (typically used at the end of a statement to invite agreement, approval, or confirmation)
rage-quit, v.: (informal) angrily abandon an activity or pursuit that has become frustrating, especially the playing of a video game
rando, n.: (informal) a person one does not know, especially one regarded as odd, suspicious, or engaging in socially inappropriate behaviour

— See more of the list, and some fairly rando sentences made from it, at The Two-Way on NPR.

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