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Monday, June 04, 2007

"HOODIES" and "leaf peepers" are among hundreds of new words and phrases included in an updated version of an English dictionary.

Ever since British Conservative Party leader David Cameron told people to "hug a hoodie" - a young person who wears a hooded sweatshirt, regarded by some as a potential hooligan - the phrase has become commonplace.

Now its usage has been formally recognised in the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary.

"Leaf peeper" has gained acceptance as describing a tourist who visits New England in autumn to see the changing colours of the foliage.

The new words are intended to provide a reflection of our changing world and its requirements, Collins said.

Other new words and phrases include: Barbecue stopper - a controversial current-affairs issue, or a social gaffe.
Croydon facelift - the tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail.
Disemvowel - to remove the vowels from a word (a word in a text message, e-mail etc) in order to abbreviate it.
Dykon - a celebrity much admired by lesbians.
Exergaming - the playing of video games that require rigorous physical exercise and are intended as a work-out, such as those in which players race a virtual bicycle on-screen by pedalling a simulator resembling an exercise bike.
Extraordinary rendition - the process by which a country seizes a person assumed to be involved in terrorist activity and then transports him or her for interrogation to a country where due process of law is unlikely to be respected.
Girlfriend experience - a service provided by a prostitute that includes more personal activity, such as kissing, than provided traditionally by sex workers.
POTUS - president of the United States
Season creep - the gradual changing in the length of the seasons, as demonstrated by earlier flowering of plants, etc, thought by many to be caused by climate change.
Carbon footprint - a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by a single endeavour or by a company, household, or individual through day-to-day activities.

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