The Oxford English Dictionary is the unrivalled reference to the meaning, history and pronunciation of the English language. It defines over half a million words, and its ten volumes took 50 years to compile. These days, the OED publishes quarterly updates to the online edition. In the March 2017 update, they added 500 new words, including ‘sticky-outy’, ‘Zika’ and also ‘pogonophobia’ (the fear of bearded people).

Other words included an update of Canadian words, in preparation for the nation’s sesquicentennial celebrations. There was also a refresh of words beginning with ‘BUG’, ‘KING’, ‘SCREEN’ and ‘SHOW’, among others. How many of these new words can you identify? I've listed 20 added in March 2017, and have given four possible definitions for each — can you spot the correct one?

You'll find a link to the answers at the foot of the page, but no peeking until you've guessed them all!

1. 420


a) committal to an asylum

b) computer error

c) diesel engine

d) marijuana

2. al pastor


a) Coptic Church official

b) Mexican kebab

c) nostalgia

d) star in the constellation Vela

3. bugaku


a) culinary mushroom

b) Japanese dance

c) missile

d) number puzzle

4. buggerlugs


a) cauliflower ear

b) crane fly

c) Dorset scarecrow

d) the Devil

5. canarium


a) Canadian parliamentary chamber

b) Roman kennel

c) torture chamber

d) tropical tree

6. eephus


a) baseball pitch

b) ecstasy tablet

c) Greek theatre

d) prehistoric horse

7. freak flag


a) cracked pavement

b) stars and stripes

c) subatomic particle

d) unconventional trait

8. heliopause


a) eclipse of the sun

b) edge of the solar system

c) a high from inhaling helium

d) tea break

9. kingie


a) Australian fish

b) hat

c) skittle

d) small king

10. labradorescent


a) bleak (like northeast Canada)

b) faithful (like a dog)

c) shimmering (like a rainbow)

d) smelly

11. labrid


a) fish

b) lazy

c) scientific waste

d) scooter

12. laccy


a) elastic

b) electricity

c) hair lacquer

d) tobacco

13. lacinato


a) drugged

b) kale

c) slashed

d) wine

14. loogie


a) coward

b) grinding someone’s head with the knuckles

c) lump of phlegm

d) party

15. Mary Sue


a) airline life jacket

b) cocktail

c) flawless character

d) weed

16. screecham


a) crying baby

b) daybreak

c) skid mark

d) Zetlandic whisky

17. skitch


a) couch-grass

b) hitch a skateboard ride from a moving vehicle

c) scraping sound

d) smoke

18. sticheron


a) airframe component

b) breed of dog

c) hymn

d) surgeon

19. throddy


a) drunk

b) fat

c) ill-tempered

d) senile

20. ume


a) grandmother

b) log cabin

c) Nigerian scammer

d) plum tree

All done? Click the picture for the answers.

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