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WORLD WIDE WORDS New from the last e-magazine issue NDM-1 Press reports in August 2010 predicted the end of the antibiotic era if bacteria that generate an enzyme that’s known as NDM-1 (“New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1”) spread widely. The enzyme is able to counter all known ... Ugsome If this reminds you of the inarticulate cry of disgust that most often appears as ugh! then you’re on the mark. The conventional spelling of ugh! was probably influenced by that of ugsome, something loathsome or horrible ... Oxford Dictionary of English When this dictionary was originally published, in 1998, it was the first time Oxford had created a completely new dictionary for decades. This was considered such a significant development that the publicity ... Read all of the last issue, including the most recent Sic! section. Randomly chosen Doohickey It’s yet another of these hand-waving terms for a thing that’s too unimportant to have a name of its own, or whose name you have for the moment forgotten. In this case, it refers to some unspecified object or small device ... Recently added pages Nine days’ wonder; Mournival; Cucumber time; Gastro-diplomacy; First, Second and Third; Nurdle; Bread-and-butter letter; Roister-doister; Dilemma; Curtain lecture; Taxi; Swan-upping; Through the Language Glass; Xeric; Boot camp; Gallivant; Globish; Divagation; Richard Snary; Taqwacore; Up the creek; Give someone the sack; Swoose; Early doors; Shemozzle; Pluck the gowans fine; Just des(s)erts; Come the old soldier; Urtication; Hung parliament; Comeuppance. The next website update The next update is due on 4 September. You may then find pieces on the horse-related old term jumentous and discover the Dutch origins of in a trice. |
About World Wide Words The English language is forever changing. New words appear; old ones fall out of use or change their meanings. World Wide Words tries to record at least some part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, the background to words in the news, and the curiosities of native English speech. This site is the archive of pieces that have appeared in the free e-magazine. Weekly issues include much more than appears here, including discussion by readers, serendipitous encounters with unfamiliar language, and tongue-in-cheek tut-tuttings at errors perpetrated by sloppy writers. Notes and comments
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