Muffin tops, wags and size-zero celebutante make new Collins Dictionary

 

Last updated at 09:48am on 4th June 2007 Comments (1)

Size zero (below) and wags (wives and girlfriends) like Victoria Beckham have made it onto the pages of the new Collins English Dictionary

 

 

It's not often that you spot a hoodie, a muffin top and a celebutante all in the same place.

Unless, that is, you happen upon a copy of the Collins English Dictionary.

Its ninth edition, out today, includes hundreds of words which reflect our changing world and language.

The obsession with health has led to the inclusion of new arrivals such as brainfood, which relates to substances believed to improve the intellect, and man flu, which implies the male of the species has nothing worse than a cold but is exaggerating the symptoms to gain sympathy.

In the wake of the row over the 'McJob' label, McMansion - a large modern house considered to look mass-produced - has now made it into the dictionary.

In the fashion world, size zero, the U.S. equivalent of the tiny British size four, makes its debut, as does pro-ana, the belief that anorexia is a viable lifestyle choice.

The term muffin top refers to an unattractive roll of stomach which hangs over the top of tight trousers or skirts - like the upper part of a muffin.

Then there are celebutantes, young women from a wealthy background who become famous, and after their sterling performance at last year's football World Cup, wags, short for wives and girlfriends, have also made it into the dictionary.

Our growing concern with the environment is reflected in carbon offsetting and season creep, which is the changing of the length of seasons thought to be caused by climate change.

Many of the new words are scientific or technological, including plasma screen televisions, Tamiflu, the anti-influenza drug, and wiki - a web application which allows website visitors to edit content.

This derives from the Hawaiian wiki-wiki, meaning quick.

World events have also penetrated the language, with 7/7, Beslan and Gitmo - slang for Guantanamo Bay - all included.

And the war on terror has produced radicalising and Londonistan - a reference to the capital being a base for radical Islamists.

The ninth edition will be available in print, on line, on mobiles and as a desktop application.

Oxford English Dictionary is so much better.