创新英语-OMG, LOL, FYI Now in Oxford English Dictionary

We all use them when we send text messages; now they have been included in the latest edition of the Oxford¹ English Dictionary (OED). They are the online abbreviations OMG, “oh my God”; LOL, “laughing out loud”; FYI, “for your information; and IMHO, “in my humble² opinion”. The OED calls them “initialisms” because they are made up of initials. Young people know and use thousands of these shortcuts³ on social media sites like Twitter and when sending SMS texts. They are useful when there is a limit on the number of characters used in a message. An OED editor, Graeme Diamond, believes there’s more to initialisms than simply saving space in messages. He thinks young people use them to show irony⁴.

Mr Diamond, who is responsible for allowing new words into the OED, said one of the initialisms, “OMG” was not so new as it was included in a letter written in 1917. New entries in the OED include “ego surfing” – the practice of searching your own name on the Internet, and the “five-second rule,” that "allows for the eating of a delicious morsel⁵ that has fallen to the floor, provided that it is retrieved⁶ within the specified⁷ period of time". Lexicographers also decided⁸ that the term “muffin top” deserved an entry. This is defined as "a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers”. It’s also known as “spare tyre” or “love handle”. The dictionary has also included the heart symbol <3 meaning "love".

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

3 shortcuts   

n.捷径( shortcut的名词复数 )；近路；快捷办法；被切短的东西（尤指烟草）

参考例句：

• In other words, experts want shortcuts to everything. 换句话说，专家需要所有的快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Offer shortcuts from the Help menu. 在帮助菜单中提供快捷方式。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

5 morsel   

n.一口，一点点

参考例句：

• He refused to touch a morsel of the food they had brought.他们拿来的东西他一口也不吃。
• The patient has not had a morsel of food since the morning.从早上起病人一直没有进食。

6 retrieved   

v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Yesterday I retrieved the bag I left in the train. 昨天我取回了遗留在火车上的包。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He reached over and retrieved his jacket from the back seat. 他伸手从后座上取回了自己的夹克。 来自辞典例句

7 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。