Mommy Wants Vodka » Blog Archive » OMFG. WTF. BBQ. Oxford English Dictionary Tries To Justify Adding LOL To The Dictionary.

OMFG. WTF. BBQ. Oxford English Dictionary Tries To Justify Adding LOL To The Dictionary.

April13

Now I should start by saying that I am not an English Nerd. Before writing on The Internet, I was all science, all the time. I had (have) grand plans of going BACK to science as soon as humanly possible. I’ve not taken more English classes than the minimum required to receive my diploma, because, well, I’d rather poke out my eyeballs than read anything Jane Austen ever wrote.

Let’s be honest. Read anything I’ve ever written and you’ll see that blogging is free publishing for a reason: anyone can do it.

That said, I’ve clearly turned into an Old Fart. When I heard that Oxford English Dictionary had added text-speak to it’s formidable definitions, I got Furious George.

Why?

THEY’RE NOT WORDS.

At the end of March, nine hundred words were added to the famous, respectable Oxford English Dictionary. Including “LOL,” which, for those of you living under a rock, means “laughing out loud.” According to justifications by the Dictionary Maker People, LOL is okay to add because it once stood for “little old lady.” RIGHT, Oxford English Dictionary People, play the Little Old Lady Card so I can’t call you out on your bullshit. Who can POSSIBLY be angry at a Little Old Lady?

This blogger. Right here.

See, Oxford English Dictionary Makers, I see nonsense text-crap like “LOL” and “OMG” and those weird heart symbols all over the place. They annoy me. More than mayonnaise. Rather than stand united in our hatred of pointless acronyms like I’d expect, you bowed down and added A HEART SYMBOL (that I can never properly make which is part of the reason I hate it) TO THE DICTIONARY.

This is not okay.

First we have to accept microblogs like The Twitter and The Tumbler because people “didn’t like to read words,” and now IMHO (“in my honest opinion”) is there, right next to real words like “infarction” and “imbecile.”

Guilt me with your Little Old Ladies all you want; there’s very little that will get me off your ass for this disgusting, horrifying mutilation of the English Language, Oxford English Dictionary.

Unless, of course, you add me to the dictionary, too, under “full of the awesome.” Then we’ll be BFF again.

posted under Hells Yes, I Drank My Hatorade Today

84 Comments to

“OMFG. WTF. BBQ. Oxford English Dictionary Tries To Justify Adding LOL To The Dictionary.”

On April 13th, 2011 at 12:34 pm Serial Swooper Says:
(standing on top of my chair applauding dead poets-like)

Bravo!
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:09 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Yay for Word Nerds!
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:38 pm AthenaCherise Says:
Thank you! I’m glad to see that I’m not the only person hating on Oxford English Dictionary over this. I think they should have to change the name to the Oxford Big Book of Words, Acronyms, and Symbols.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:09 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
EXACTLY. Or, something besides Oxford. Because “Oxford” sounds classy. And THAT is not classy!
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:38 pm Mvelase Says:
Oh Aunty Becky, how I hate to disagree with your most esteemed position as Queen of the awesome, but disagree I must.

When I first heard this I had pretty much the same reaction that your awesomeness had. But as I sat down to express my outrage when I (watch for the plug) wrote this article http://memeburn.com/2011/03/oxford-dictionary-speaks-text-language/ I changed my opinion.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:39 pm Anne Says:
The “Queen’s English” just doesn’t mean what it used to. I’m with you.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:08 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
This is an OUTRAGE!
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:40 pm Sili Says:
I LOVE this! I almost put a heart in there but I didn’t want you to be pissed at me (by the way, here’s how you make it: you type in the symbol < and right next to it, the number 3).

I am a word lover and I am breaking out in hives over this crap! I couldn't have said it better. Please be prepared for a high traffic day as I am about to send your blog viral (to all 15 of my friends! ;-). I am going to google the details of this insanity because part of me refuses to believe that a symbol is now in the dictionary.

Good day to you, kind lady!
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:08 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
BWAHAHAHAHA. How could you POSSIBLY consider OMG a word?

I get mad when people text me. CALL ME INSTEAD.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:41 pm gaylin Says:
Ambulance drivers used to take calls for LOL squared.

It meant little old ladies lying on linoleum . . .
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:08 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Oh that’s awesome.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:43 pm Dixie's_Momma Says:
YARP!!!! (aka Dead Poets Society)

I’m with you. I went all pissy bitch when I saw. I think I ranted about it for two days to anyone who would listen.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:07 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
It makes me FURIOUS GEORGE. WTF is NOT a word!
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:09 pm Dixie's_Momma Says:
And that stupid little heart symbol is just that… a SYMBOL. NOT a word.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:44 pm jael Says:
Absolutely love the title of this post! It grabbed me right from Twitter. I had to know. WTF what?! I am an English geek. I asked for the OED for my 18th birthday. No, I didn’t get it, or a date to the prom either… Hmmm. You make me smile when you rant and go all shrill. It’s such a tonal juxtaposition to gardening and your posts about your babies. xo
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:06 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Bwahahaha. It’s awesome to get ranty when I’m such a shitty writer.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:45 pm Penbleth Says:
Things that make me sigh – not in the good way. At this rate nothing is ever going to make me sigh in the good way again.

Oh Oxford, what has become of you?
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:58 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
I’m going to toss all mine out. That’s a steaming pile of bullshit.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:47 pm Leslie Says:
Yay for English Nerds!
I hadn’t heard about LOL – but what about words like “ginormous” or “chillax”? Those kind of words drive me a little nuts. My (younger, male) coworkers know this, so they use them constantly. I tell them to get off my lawn. 🙂
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:58 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Chillax sounds stupid. I hate “hubby.” I know I’ve said it before, but it’s true.

I may start a campaign.

DOWN WITH HUBBY! It’s not a WORD.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:47 pm leanne Says:
Even better, I love (much sarcasm) how the OED refers to these things as “initialisms.” (and somehow that makes them words or word-like enough?)

At least they had the sense not to include DH, DS, or DD. Yet.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:57 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
You KNOW how I feel about those three “words.” STAB STAB STAB.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:26 pm Rebecca Says:
I always like to comment on DS, DD, and DH threads and depending on my mood I alternate between You let your daughter drink? Drinking daughter? Why do you let your daughter get drunk? She does it enough to be called your Drunk Daughter? (Or I say the first D means Dumb) Not too original but it makes me feel better.
On April 13th, 2011 at 4:49 pm Barbara Says:
I didn’t know what DH meant until a few months ago. Is it really that hard to type out my husband?
On April 13th, 2011 at 5:45 pm vickilikesfrogs Says:
I always think “dick head” when I see DH, *snork*
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:04 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Dude, DH makes my vagina hurt.
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:53 pm Squatlo Says:
While that might be disturbing to grammar Nazis and word nerds, nothing is as blasphemous as adding those same “words” to the official Scrabble Dictionary! When you play full-contact, in your face Scrabble like my wife and I play (and I say “play” as if it’s somehow fun… when in actuality it’s more like combat) the thought of such crap being counted as a legal word on a triple-word score space is enough to make us froth!
On April 13th, 2011 at 12:57 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
No. Way. They’re in the scrabble dictionary?
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:04 pm The Mommy Says:
Maybe this is a GOOD idea (wait, let me finish before you throw something at me). I mean, I have no idea what half of those abbreviations mean and since – someday- I’ll be a mother of a teenager I need someplace where I can go to get a definition. See? Makes sense, right?
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:21 pm Rebecca Says:
I bet you can find meanings for stuff like that and many more slang words…in the Urban Dictionary. (found online google it)
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:14 pm Jacquie Says:
Did you read about that woman who texted LOL after giving news about a relative’s death? She thought it meant “lots of love”.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:19 pm Rebecca Says:
Yes, Aunt Becky! You are asbolutely right and beautiful too and totally full of the awesome. Dictionaries should be where we can find proper words. Words we want to use when writing a term paper, not crap we peck out into our telephones when drunk. Save that for the Urban Dictionary!
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:32 pm Kristin (MamaKK922) Says:
Ha Ha see I have to stop myself from using LOL because I hate it so much I used it so often because I became full of the laze. And now Oxford is applauding this it is horrible. I FEAR for my children’s future. I see the way teenagers text message now days I seriously worry they are having strokes with half the shit they say. I understand none of it. I do not fit in on The Twitter because I can NOT efficiently say what I want in 160 characters or less without shortening words and looking like I too am having a stroke I so not like what is happening to the world. It scares me it honestly does. But I will admit I do use the lazy words WTF and OMG and I am saddened by my laze. But I draw the line at those stupid hearts! Cause I too do not know how to make them, and I still HATE the word EPIC and it’s overuse.
On April 13th, 2011 at 1:41 pm Kelly Says:
I hate LOL. HATE IT. I seriously still have a tattered piece of paper with all these crappy text speak words on it, that I made my oldest daughter write out for me when she first started texting me this non-sense, so that I knew what the fuck she was talking about when she was texting me.

I mean seriously, ROTFL? Who Rolls On The Floor Laughing anyway?

No one.
On April 13th, 2011 at 2:19 pm Kana Says:
Oh, man. I thought IMHO was In My HUMBLE Opinion…these acronyms are obviously doomed to failure when they’re already this inconsistent. Or maybe it stands for Invalids, Muffins, Hugs n’ Oldfolk…you can’t fight these precious things, so it goes into the dictionary!
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:39 pm Johi Says:
I thought the same thing.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:11 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Bwahaha. Mayhap we should BUY one of those new Oxford English dictionaries so we can look that shit up.
On April 13th, 2011 at 2:47 pm JenniferB Says:
I wholeheartedly agree with you Aunt Becky… but then, I’m the person who spells out all their words, even in text messages. I guess I’m the old fart. Oh well.
On April 13th, 2011 at 2:49 pm JenniferB Says:
Oh, and if they are going to put it in the dictionary, they should at least make a disclaimer before the “definition” that reads something like “A non-standard variant, commonly used by illiterate and/or youth while sending text messages”. Just sayin.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:10 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Yeah, me too. And I butcher the English language constantly. LOL.

(snork)
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:05 pm Jen@Dear Mommy Brain... Says:
AMEN! I just don’t get it… Why would it be preferable to write LOL over HA? And don’t get me started on OMG… One exception to all this textual abbreviation: FFS. It definitely fills a niche.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:10 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Or, the Shut Your Whore Mouth one (SYWM). When are they gonna add THAT?
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:38 pm Becky Says:
Huh. I always thought it was “In My Humble Opinion.” Whatever.

I will admit that I do use a bunch of those acronyms, but I will also admit that I used them back before texting existed. I am that old. In spite of that, I still refuse to type U R, UR, gr8, l8 or any of that crap.

And I don’t think any of it should be added to a proper English Dictionary.
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:58 pm Megan Says:
I always ALWAYS get confused when people use “FWIW” on me… (for what it’s worth) Ive wasted hours of my life trying to decipher what the hell that one was, and finally had to ask. FWIW, you don’t need to reduce EVERYTHING to acronyms.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:06 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
I still don’t know what that is OR what ROTFLMAO. Which makes me think of puking.
On April 13th, 2011 at 9:21 pm kittyn Says:
If you’re serious about ROTFLMAO it is:

Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off

I suck at determining intent in type, so if that was sarcasm or something, ignore my reply
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:09 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
I’m good with anyone USING them. Just not in the DICTIONARY. Right?

(pass the Geritol)
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:52 pm Becky Mochaface Says:
Acronyms don’t bug me in Twitter, texting or (is anyone still using this?) im-ing. It bugs me in emails. And on blogs. You don’t need to add LOL for me to know it’s funny. Because then I know it’s not. Geez.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:09 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
If you have to tell someone you’re funny, you’re probably not.
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:56 pm Megan Says:
wait wait wait… they added THIS HEART SYMBOL <3 to the dictionary too? I am saddened by this. it breaks my birthday-hat-wearing-butt. I mean, "heart"
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:08 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
Bwahahahaha. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Also: <3

(DID I DO THAT RIGHT?)
On April 13th, 2011 at 3:57 pm Amelia Says:
Mayo is so super gross! Who the eff eats that shit?
On April 13th, 2011 at 4:12 pm Kristian Says:
This is not a bad thing, some people need to know what these abbreviations mean before using them. Once on the Facebook someone wrote that a family member had passed away and my sister comments “sorry, lol”. I asked my sis “do you even know what lol stands for” she replied “lots of love”.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:06 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
LOVE THIS. In a, um, you know, kinda way.
On April 13th, 2011 at 4:39 pm Joker_SATX Says:
This is one of the topics I plan to cover in my new found digs. I will tell you that the reason I believe myself insane is because I am watching this dumbing down going on. And I am starting to believe it’s me.

I mean, it can’t be the rest of the world can it? Pretty soon we won’t have words any longer, we will speak in Acronyms.

And my old man thought that I was the instant generation…He obviously doesn’t spend all that much time with his grandchildren….
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:05 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
I’m an old fart who likes *the phone* rather than email. You wanna talk? CALL ME. It’ll take five minutes. Emailing goes back and forth and gets nowhere.

Now, get those fucking kids off my lawn.
On April 13th, 2011 at 4:48 pm Yvonne! Says:
A good friend’s father thought, until recently, that LOL meant lots of love. After suffering a heart attack, he sent an email out to family detailing everything and signed it with LOL.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:05 pm Your Aunt Becky Says:
No. Way.
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:07 pm Melissa Says:
I too had a boss who thought LOL was Lots of Love. He was calling me out on a mistake I made and said “I still think you’re the best though, happens to all of us” I IM’d back (did I mention it was an IM conversation) “LOL, thanks” – He was all “Lots of love”?
On April 13th, 2011 at 6:16 pm SoberJulie Says:
While I admit to overusing said acronyms much too often I don’t believe they belong in an English Dictionary. The Queen’s English as my parents would call it shouldn’t hold genre style words
On April 13th, 2011 at 7:55 pm Suniverse Says:
I am an English nerd and I find this reprehensible.

STOP DUMBING DOWN MY LANGUAGE.

Also, Jane Austen is brilliant – truly.
On April 13th, 2011 at 8:19 pm QCMAMA Says:
Hi my name is Aubrey and I am an LOL and OMG aholic. I bug myself I use it so much in texts and twitter. I need to figure out better short ways to say things. My son is known to yell out OMG at any given moment he sees something worth noting. I also just learned how to make th <3 but it always looks crooked so it bothers me and I don't use it. Also it took me forever to figure out DH and all that, I thought it was dickhead too. And KWIM. I was all where the hell are they swimming that they have to use a k? duh. I type out everything, I try to anyway. Also I txt way more than I talk it is easier for me when I have 4 kids yelling constantly and besides I can't sit at work and talk on the phone but texting I can do. :)(see I almost did it again! ugh! I suck) Also, I use smileys too much I think I need an intervention. haha
On April 13th, 2011 at 8:46 pm katrina Says:
What the fuck?! DH doesn’t mean dickhead?
On April 13th, 2011 at 11:24 pm Kristin Says:
And, to think I got pissed off when they added ain’t to the dictionary? Adding text speak is infinitely worse.
On April 14th, 2011 at 12:04 am GingerB Says:
I am not just an old fart, I am a dumb shit old fart. When I see <3 I never think "heart" or "love" I think "balls." Tee hee.
On April 14th, 2011 at 8:39 am CC Says:
Old fart here! I think of boobies and butt cheeks!!! Mind in the gutter!
On April 14th, 2011 at 4:55 am The Barreness Says:
I heard this on the BBC on my way into work one morning and nearly wrecked my car.

Really, Oxford? REALLY?

You only admit students called Bernard and Matilda but you’ll validate the existence of such utter laziness and disregard for our language as LOL and IMHO??

As a side note, I never understood the need for the ‘H’ in IMHO… why would you give your lying opinion? It doesn’t make any sense.

And if this makes me an old fart, so be it.

I’m also hot, so…

silver linings.

– B x
On April 14th, 2011 at 6:03 am jess Says:
AMEN TO THAT.
On April 14th, 2011 at 6:39 am Jolie Says:
Old fart here, joining in on the meeting. Using the acronyms is just one more step in this impersonal world. Having the dictionary use them – makes me sad. In no way shape or form am I a grammar goddess, but I think this is one more dumbing down step. *taking my Geritol and passing it on*
also, as for the ? – I prefer the alt3 heart, b/c the <3 is crooked and my OCD will not allow it. Plus now GingerB has given me the laughs about it, as if the butt I thought it used to look like wasn't bad enough!
On April 14th, 2011 at 7:09 am John Says:
I have an engineering degree, and the reason I have an engineering degree is because, in the college, I didn’t like to write (turns out that I’m actually a better-than-decent writer, but I didn’t really believe that until I saw what passed for “writing” in the professional world). I find that I’m fighting a losing battle against the changing of definitions. Enormity is a great word that means, essentially, “ginormously evil.” “The enormity of the holocaust”is an appropriate use of the word. “The enormity of a Jane Austen novel” fits by my definition. But “the enormity of the elephant” doesn’t work, unless said elephant is standing on your foot, I guess.

I never knew the dictionary was the appropriate place for acronyms, but some confusion over LOL, after the Haiti earthquake: http://tech.ca.msn.com/photogallery.aspx?cp-documentid=23325226&page=3
On April 14th, 2011 at 7:52 am shelly Says:
Now see I am time stamping myself here, but as much as I HATE seeing this crap being put in the dictionary I can still remeber in middle school. (being from the south) getting in trouble every single week for saying “ain’t” And the teachers saying, “SHELLY WRITE AIN’T IS NOT A WORD 1000 TIMES AND HAVE IT TURNED IN FIRST THING IN THE MORNING”

AND my utter GLEE at them putting AIN’T into the dictionary.
I suppose my daughters having a similar reaction now. haha
On April 14th, 2011 at 8:03 am Megan (Best of Fates) Says:
Things that make me Furious George:
1. People who wait in line to use the self-check out at the grocery store only to get up there and reveal they’ve never used any sort of computer in their lives and are completely baffled by the idea of pressing the large red button saying pay to pay.
2. Goats. They know what they’ve done.
3. A day without cheese, or fake cheese products.
On April 14th, 2011 at 8:36 am CC Says:
I will admit I am guilty of freqently using LOL…IN TEXT MESSAGES!!! I wouldn’t use it in a damn sentence when writing a letter to you…or in a conversation with you. Are you f-ing kidding me?!?! Don’t get me started! The English language is going to poop in an easter basket!
On April 14th, 2011 at 11:56 am Sandi Says:
I, too, hate LOL. No-one’s actually ‘LOLing’ anyway, they’re probably just smiling to themselves (STT?)
On April 14th, 2011 at 11:57 am Melissa Says:
OMG, This is so funny I LOL’D IRL right here at my computer. TIL other people hate acronyms! WTF!

AA
On April 14th, 2011 at 12:02 pm MommyLisa Says:
Maybe if they added OMFG I might be behind this. 😛

It is truly appalling.
On April 14th, 2011 at 5:15 pm Stephanie Says:
While I vehemently disagree with your thoughts on mayonnaise, I completely agree with this. I loathe text speak, although I am guilty of the very occasional WTF. *ducking as everyone prepares to throw things at me* The most insulting, by far, is <3. That's a symbol! In no way is that a word. Shape up Oxford!
On April 14th, 2011 at 5:42 pm erin margolin Says:
whoa. SYWM is new to me and I’m so excited. I don’t mind the acronyms on Twitter, I have to say. Although I probably need to pay more attention to how frequently I’m using them. Oops.
On April 15th, 2011 at 11:10 am mary ryan Says:
my child gave birth to my first grandson yesterday. JAXSON.yes with an X. thats his name
secretly i want to say “why dont you just call him LOL”
but considering i named both my kids with stripper names,,,granny is keeping her fat trap shut…
it KILLS me inside though,…
On April 16th, 2011 at 12:32 am Naptimewriting Says:
Oh, my, what a good time to discover your blog.
I salute you. (Except that living under a rock meant I hadn’t heard the ludicrous and disastrous news of the selling out of the O.E.D. to tweens and now I’m seething.)
Mayo is, in fact, disgusting. Initialisms are not, in fact, words. Your righteous indignation is, in fact, worthy of your being added to the dictionary. Consider it done.
On April 16th, 2011 at 10:21 am Your Aunt Becky Says:
Bwahahahahaha. I love you. Glad to meet you.
On April 17th, 2011 at 11:42 am Jessica Says:
A friend of mine thought LOL stood for “lots of love” and wrote it in a sympathy card. Didn’t go over well, as you can imagine.
On April 18th, 2011 at 12:07 pm Andrea Says:
See, now I thought IMHO was In My Humble Opinion. Maybe we DO need internet-speak acronyms in the dictionary.

And I am both English nerd AND wordless Tumblr-er.
On April 18th, 2011 at 1:06 pm Jessica Says:
I thought IMHO was In My Humble Opinion, too. You’re not alone there. I think it goes both ways.