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Parlour Games

by | 8th, July 2004

‘HAD Tony Blair called for ‘edudacation, edudacation, edudacation’, the word would have made it into the new Concise Oxford English Dictionary (COED).

‘I am a well edudacated man’

If someone says something enough times, however absurd, the word or phrase soon forms part of the vernacular of the day and then, after a period, earns a place in the word bible.

But Tony never said edudacation, nor did George Bush (give it time and he will), which means that the word is not now in the new COED.

But other new words are. And the Sun lists some of the 2,000 that are now acceptable to form from your Scrabble tiles.

The most noticeable of the lot is va-va-voom, as in Thierry Henry’s car has ‘va-va-voom’.

According to the COED, va-va-voom means ‘the quality of being exciting, vigorous, or sexually attractive’.

Other words now included are: mini-me (‘a person closely resembling a smaller or younger version of another’), congestion charge (‘a charge made into an area that suffers heavy traffic’) and mentalist (‘an eccentric or mad person’).

All very good. But how are these words chosen? Thankfully, Judy Pearsall of Oxford University Press is keen to explain all.

‘Words,’ says Julie, ‘are collected from various sources – from websites and journals to books and even comics.’

So, mindful of that, here’s a new word we want you all to use and so get into the COED’s next edition.

And the word is ‘parloured’ – to be taken to the cleaners by your ex-wife.’



Posted: 8th, July 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink