OED endorses mansion taxes and micro pigs
LEXICOGRAPHERS of the internet rejoice: the latest additions to Oxford Dictionaries Online are out.
Like its dead-tree counterpart the Oxford English Dictionary, ODO periodically picks the best new words and phrases to add to its online library, skewing the list towards trendy buzzwords to craftily boost its traffic.
Today’s additions include “Dunbar’s number”, the upper limit of social acquaintances one person can maintain (it’s around 150, apparently), and “mansion tax”, the levy on wealthy homeowners favoured by some Liberal Democrats.
Yet “screeching U-turn” appears to be sadly absent from the list.
But other corporate jargon does make it in, including managing expectations, user experience and e-learning.
“Vajazzle” is also thrown in.
Some of the new entrants are more baffling. “E-cigarettes” entered the vernacular before the 2007 smoking ban, while “hosepipe bans” have been around since the last time the “soul patch” (also on the list) was fashionable.
Then there’s the “micro pig”, the miniature pets that became a minor craze several years ago, but are now so off-trend that even the squares at DEFRA offer online advice on pig walking licences and the correct way to ear-tag housebound swines.
But those canny folk at Oxford Dictionaries Online know that if the internet likes one thing, it’s pictures of miniature animals in amusing situations. Happily, so does the Capitalist.
The bidding for Olympic memorabilia is heating up in the Mayor’s Fund for London auction. In fact, the bidding for the Capitalist’s favourite mascot, the bowler-hat bedecked City Wenlock, has turned into a positive frenzy. With just nine days left to go, the pin-striped Cyclops-like figure is currently priced at £16,694. Despite his extravagant price-tag, City Wenlock is not the most expensive item on offer. That honour goes to the St. Louis 1904 Bronze Participation Medal, featuring a nude athlete striding forward. Its extreme rarity means the highest bid has already hit £20,000, and there’s still another eight days to go. But if these austerity-stricken times are leaving you short on cash, at the other end of the scale is a signed photo of GB cyclist Victoria Pendleton – currently going for just a £1. If you can stretch a little further, then you could nab yourself a warm-up bib from the women’s bronze medal football match between Canada and France. It’s currently a mere £20, with bids closing today. http://memorabilia.london2012.com