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'Amazeballs' passes online test

 

More than 80 words and terms including blootered, amazeballs and mummy porn have been added to an online dictionary.

Publisher Collins said it was "blown away" by the thousands of entries it received for its online resource, after inviting all English-speaking members of the public to become "word-spotters" and suggest new and emerging words for inclusion.

A total of 86 were chosen and can now be seen at www.collinsdictionary.com.

The site was launched last year and is based in Glasgow, where Collins English Dictionary print editions and other best-selling reference titles are produced. Collins said opening the normally closed process would make the way the English language is recorded more democratic.

The term mummy porn was coined when the novel Fifty Shades of Grey, by British author EL James, shot to popularity this year. The book explores themes of a sexual nature and has a reputation for being popular with women.

Blootered, an adjective commonly used in Scotland to describe someone who is drunk, was added, along with Facebook, cyber bullying and floordrobe, which is defined as "a pile of clothes left on the floor of a room".

Tanya Clarke, 30, from Nottingham, submitted the successful entry "amazeballs", which is a slang word for giving approval to something. She said: "My daughter is 10 and she uses it all the time. I think it is one of those words that will be used a lot by teenagers and pre-teens.I think the opportunity offered by Collins to submit words is really good as it means people have the chance to give their views on things that people are actually saying and the terms they are using."

Other new entries to the dictionary include frenemy, for a person who is considered as both a friend and a rival; shabby chic, which is a style of interior design that uses worn or distressed furnishings to achieve a "romantic effect"; and tiger mother, describing "a very strict mother who demands that her children reach a high level of achievement".

The entries will now be considered for the dictionary's print edition, but people can continue to submit words to Collins' online resource, which the publisher said allows it to keep up-to-date in real-time.

Alex Brown, head of digital at Collins, said: "We were optimistic about just how keen people would be to take part, but have been blown away by the volume and variety of submissions, and the way that this opportunity to contribute and help document the English language has captured the public imagination."

 
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