The weirdest new words that made it into the Macquarie Dictionary, from BDE to hygge

Some of the latest words added to the Macquarie Dictionary, from BDE to hygge and dark kitchen, show just how odd 2018 was.

Of all the new words added to the Macquarie Dictionary in 2018, a committee of experts chose “Me Too” as its choice for addition of the year.

Listed as an adjective or verb, it refers to the movement sparked by Hollywood’s war on sexual harassment and assault, which has led to a number of prominent figures being accused of misconduct.

It bled out into the mainstream world and saw a number of victims come forward to share their stories, particularly on social media using the hashtag #MeToo — though the dictionary prefers it without the hashtag as either two words or hyphenated.

While it’s a worthy pick of the top new additions, the short list compiled by the Macquarie Dictionary selection committee offers a more interesting insight into the year that was.

Receiving an honourable mention from the group of luminaries, which includes academics, authors and researchers, was BDE.

BDE, which stands for big dick energy, is a noun that describes a “sense of self-confidence, unaccompanied by arrogance of conceit”.

BDE, or big dick energy, is thought to have been coined following the death of chef and author Anthony Bourdain last year. Picture: Getty Images

The colloquial term is believed to have been first used in 2018 following the death of renowned chef and author Anthony Bourdain, “in an attempt to encapsulate his easy confidence,” the committee said.

“The committee gave the abbreviation BDE an honourable mention for its meteoric rise in popularity, as well as its adaptability — a woman is just as likely to have BDE as a man,” it said.

BDE describes the apparent self-assuredness possessed by a man with a large penis and was also used in relation to comedian Pete Davidson, former fiance of Ariana Grande, and even actor Christine Baranski.

Christine Baranski's description of Big Dick Energy is everything... pic.twitter.com/R6B5IVI9i4

— heat & heatworld.com (@heatworld) July 16, 2018

Another word to receive an honourable mention was deepfake, a noun the committee called “a real sign of our times”.

“Incredible advances in artificial intelligence have enabled the creation of remarkably accurate likenesses, and social media has enabled the lightning speed with which these videos are spread,” it said.

“Suddenly the deepfake is something that we all should be taking into account when we try to sort out the fake from the real in the news we are fed.”

RELATED: The rise of fake porn as blackmail

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

In addition to its top picks, the committee also whittled down a list of new dictionary additions to create a short list for a people’s choice vote.

Among them are:

Ab crack

A well-defined concave line on the body, which runs vertically through the centre of the abdomen.

CRISPR

(Also CRISPR/Cas9) A section of genetic material containing repeated base sequences, found in genomes of bacteria and other microorganisms — an important component of the immune system.

The exploding popularity of food delivery services has seen ‘dark kitchen’ added to the dictionary.

Dark kitchen

A commercial kitchen in which food is made purely to fill orders placed through a food delivery app of website — the kitchen not being attached to a restaurant.

Earthing

The practice of physically connecting to the Earth in the form of bare skin contact, as by walking barefoot on grass, sand or soil — the contact thought to reset or stabilise the natural electrical currents of the body, and thus improve health.

HODL

To keep cryptocurrency instead of trading or selling it.

VAR, or video assistant referee, was also added to the Macquarie Dictionary in 2018. Picture: AFP

Incel

A man who believes that he’s entitled to have sex with women but is not attractive to them, often because of his sexist attitudes and crass behaviour, and who blames his situation on society at large — particularly feminism.

Hygge

The practice of creating an environment of cosiness, which, in turn, fosters feelings of contentment and wellbeing.

The so-called hygge lifestyle is the hottest new thing, earning it an addition to the dictionary.

VAR

Video assistant referee — a person who reviews playback video footage of an on-field incident and referee decision, the review being passed back to the referee who holds the ultimate responsibility of maintaining or reversing their initial decision.