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YOLO, ‘Friends with Benefits’, ‘totes amazeballs’ and hipster: Your new Chambers Dictionary words

TOTES amazeballs! The latest edition of the Chambers Dictionary has included 1000 new words set to annoy word lovers around the world.

TOTES amazeballs! The latest edition of the Chambers Dictionary has included 1000 new words set to annoy word lovers around the world.

A number of words like YOLO — You Only Live Once — and ‘totes amazeballs’, favoured by the younger generation, made the cut this year for entry into the UK’s number one selling unabridged dictionary, The Independent reports.

Also added to the dictionary are ‘Milf’ (a sexually desirable mother), ‘cougar’ (a woman who chooses men significantly younger than herself), ‘hipsters’ (those born in the 1980s and 90s who look down on their middle-class roots and favour a more bohemian lifestyle).

Also... ‘Sexting’ (a sexually explicit text message), ‘friends with benefits’ (a casual sex partner with whom you are friendly) and ‘whatevs’ (a shortened version of ‘whatever’).

New words ... the Chambers Dictionary has added 1000 new words to its latest edition.
New words ... the Chambers Dictionary has added 1000 new words to its latest edition.

New words: Are you up with your lingo?

- YOLO

- Totes amazeballs

- Milf

- Cougar

- Hipsters

- Sexting

- Friends with Benefits

- Whatevs

- Frape

- Schemie

Perhaps more of a milestone are the changes in the definition of ‘husband’ (a man to whom someone is married) and ‘wife’ (a woman to whom someone is married) which now include gay marriages.

The other words to be included this year are ‘frape’ (altering someone’s personal details on social media without their knowledge) and ‘schemie’ (a working class youth from a council estate).

The Chambers Dictionary editors say the inclusion of the new words better represents the language popularly used. It is known for including more unusual words than other dictionaries.

“A word must demonstrate a lasting influence on a language in order to avoid short lived or faddy expressions being admitted,” they said.

The dictionary, which was first published in 1872.

Originally published as YOLO, ‘Friends with Benefits’, ‘totes amazeballs’ and hipster: Your new Chambers Dictionary words

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Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/yolo-friends-with-benefits-totes-amazeballs-and-hipster-your-new-chambers-dictionary-words/news-story/01b60ff59fd5033daa08b9c53ea0d827