Selfie: An informal noun becomes an emerging word embodying the zeitgeist of 2013

Truth be told / I'm really not that great
at taking "selfies" with my iPhone.

OMG. Word on the street is the Word of the Year is Selfie.

S-E-L-F-I-E. Spelled with an ie at the end not a y. It's an informal noun (the plural of selfie is selfies) that's defined as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."

By now, followers of social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are very familiar with this hip and happening addition to our lexicon. One need only probe the cluttered newsfeed of their social media platform of choice to realize narcissism is alive and well. Undoubtedly, they'll unearth selfies posted by their friends nearly every day.

Show of hands, is there anyone out there who has a smartphone who hasn't tried snapping a selfie? Truth be told, I'm really not that great at taking selfies with my iPhone. I'm much more at ease photographing roses or sporting events.

"Selfies lit up social media and dirty ones derailed political careers," I learned last week while listening to news of the award on NPR's "Morning Edition". "The word's come a long way since popping up on an Australian message board a decade ago," quipped "Morning Edition" presenter Renee Montagne. "It beat out binge watch, meaning marathon TV watching, and twerk. You can look that one up."

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, the cultural buzzword selfie perfectly captured the year 2013 -- even if it's only November and the announcement came before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other contenders included: bedroom tax, binge-watch, bitcoin, olinguito, schmeat, showrooming and twerk. By the way, last year's Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year was omnishambles. 

"In a related story," joked TV comedian Conan O'Brien, "the funeral for the English language is Saturday."

Seriously though, The Guardian in London reported that frequency of usage of the ubiquitous noun selfie spiked by 17,000 percent over the past 12 months. In its Culture Desk blog following last week's announcement, The New Yorker labeled selfie as "an emerging word that embodies the zeitgeist of the year."

And for that reason, the Oxford Dictionaries has bestowed selfie with the honor of Word of the Year. LOL.

Selfie of Michael Dickens by Michael Dickens.

I ♥ words: LOL with the OED ~ OMG!

OMG, I'm LOL at the giddy list of new words that the venerable Oxford English Dictionary has added ~ and, believe me, there are many.

Perusing the blogosphere, I couldn't help but notice the news about noteworthy initialisms "OMG" (Oh My God), "LOL" (Laughing Out Loud), and the symbol for "heart" ♥ have all been added to the OED online dictionary. They join other initialisms such as "IMHO" (In My Humble Opinion), "TMI" (Too Much Information), and "BFF" (Best Friends Forever), among others, that have already gained recognition.


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People take notice when the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words to its lexicon. After all, the OED is the definitive record of the English language ~ it says so on their website. Achieving status in the OED means a word has gained mainstream acceptance, it's part of correct English. Of course, by the time they gain recognition, these words are behind the curve, so old school. Whatever your attitude or point of view, the English language ~ and the words we use in our daily conversation ~ is forever changing, always in revision.

Some other new and notable words added in the Class of 2011 besides the aforementioned OMG, LOL and ♥ include: Ruthian, smack talk and ego-surfing. Ego-surfing?

Because I'm a big fan of British slang, I was intrigued by cream crackered, an adjective, a British slang term that connotes being tired and exhausted. And you thought it had something to do with food.  OMG, no. Now, I challenge you to use cream crackered in a sentence with a straight face. Speaking of food, I know that many foodies who appreciate Asian cuisine ~ and there are many here in the Bay Area ~ will delight in seeing the addition of bánh mì, a noun, which is a Vietnamese sandwich served on a baguette stuffed with strips of pork meat or chicken (tofu is acceptable, too), spring onion, cilantro, cucumber and lettuce, along with chili or soy sauce.  Think New Orleans-style po' boy or Philadelphia hoagie sandwich and you kind of get the culinary picture of bánh mì. 

However, after perusing the list of new and accepted words, I think my favorite new word is: yidaki. It is a noun that is defined as a long wooden instrument played by the Aborginal peoples of Arnhem Land.  

Mind you, I have no particular reason for liking yidaki over all the others.  I guess the wordsmith in me just likes the way the word yidaki (jɪˈdækɪ) sounds and rolls off of my tongue.

Now, it's time to head off to class and learn these newly-added ~ and accepted ~ words that are defining our language today and try using them in polite, daily conversation. Dare I say: OMG, sound the yidakis, let's enjoy a little bánh mì and, eventually, we'll all get a little cream crackered in the process! LOL. 

Here's the Oxford English Dictionary 'Class of 2011' words (presented alphabetically followed by their part of speech):

about round, adv.

ambigram, n.
banh mi, n.
Barnard's star, n.
bet-hedging, n.bet-hedging, adj.
biker, n.
biologic, adj. and n.
calligram, n.
car crash, n.
couch surf, v.
couch surfer, n.
couch surfing, n.
cream crackered, adj.
crème de cassis, n.
Divehi, n.
dot-bomb, n. and adj.
dotted line, n. and adj.
drill-down, n.
dubplate, n.
Dutch colonial, adj. and n.
ego-surf, v.
ego-surfing, n.
English colonial, adj. and n.
fabless, adj.
fnarr fnarr, int. and adj.
gnasher, n.
gremolata, n.
headline, v.
headlined, adj.
headlining, adj.
hentai, n.
heteronormative, adj.
heteronormativity, n.
Hindutva, n.
June, n.
kleftiko, n.
la-la land, n.
lari, n.
LOL, n.1
LOL, int. and n.2
lumpenintelligentsia, n.
meep, n. (and int.)
meep, v.
muffin top, n.
non-dom, n.
non-domicile, n.
non-domiciled, adj.
OMG, int., (n.), and adj.
pap, n.5
pap, v.3
party-crasher, n.
party-crashing, n.
party-crashing, adj.
radioprotectant, adj. and n.
rotograph, v.
rotoscope, v.
rotoscoped, adj.
rotoscoping, n.
rototill, v.
rototilled, adj.
rotten egg, n.
Rotterdammer, n.
Rottie, n.
rottle, n.2
rotty, adj.
rouding time, n.
rough-cut, adj.
rough-cut, v.
rough-dress, v.
roughed-in, adj.
rough-in, n.
roughstock, n.
roulade, v.
roulading, n.
roulette, v.
roundman, n.
round-nose, adj. and n.
round-trip, v.
roupily, adv.
Roussanne, n.
roustabouting, n.
routed, adj.2
router, n.6
routery, n.
routineness, n.
rowdily, adv.
rowed, adj.3
rower, n.3
rowlock, n.2
Royal Free disease, n.
royalness, n.
rozzle, v.
RSA, n.2
Rt. Rev., n.
Rt. Revd., n.
Ru, n.
rua, n.
ruach, n.
rub-a-dub, v.1
rubber-banded, adj.
rubberization, n.
rubberize, v.1
Rubisco, n.
rubrene, n.
rubrification, n.2
rubus, n.
ruck, v.7
ruckly, adj.2
rude, n.1
rudimentarily, adv.
ruesome, adj.
ruff, n.10
ruff, int. (and n.11)
rufiyaa, n.
Rugby sevens, n.
rugelach, n.
rugulate, adj.
ruleful, adj.
rumble-de-thumps, n.
Ruminal, adj.1
rumminess, n.1
rumour control | rumor control, n.
Rumping, adj.
rumspringa, n.
run-and-shoot, adj. and n.
runathon, n.
runchick, n.
Rungu, n.
runiform, adj.
run-round, n.
ruote, n.
Rupert, n.
RUPP, n.
Ruppia, n.
rural economics, n.
Rurales, n.
ruralite, n.
Russellite, n.1 and adj.
Russellite, n.2
Russellite, n.3
Russophilia, n.
Russophobic, adj.
Russophone, n. and adj.
russula, n.
rusticate, adj.
rusticator, n.
rusticle, n.
Rusyn, n. and adj.
Ruthenic, adj.1
ruthenous, adj.
Ruthian, adj.
rutinic, adj.
rutting, n.2
ryanodine, n.
ryotei, n.
ryugi, n.
Second Coming, n.
singledom, n.
Skidi, n. and adj.
smack talk, n.
smack talking, n.
smack-talking, adj.
spinback, n.
state-run, adj.
stonewash, n.
stonewash, v.
stonewashed, adj.
suicide door, n.
taquito, n.
tetri, n.
tinfoil hat, n.
Wag, n.4
wassup, int.
yidaki, n.

I ♥ words.