1,000 new words added to Oxford Dictionary

LONDON: The Oxford Dictionary has added as many as 1,000 new words and phrases to its online version including 'al desko', ' lolcat', ' Duck face' and ' Obamacare', in its largest ever quarterly update.

The online dictionary has added a raft of words including teenspeak, gaming terminology and business lingo.

The entries by editors at Oxford Dictionaries reflect the influence of popular culture and include abbreviations such as lolcat (a picture of a cat with a humorous caption) and IDC (I don't care).

While 'Obamacare' is an informal term for a federal law intended to improve access to health insurance for US citizens, 'al desko' means working at one's desk in an office.

'Duck face' is an exaggerated pouting expression in which the lips are thrust outwards, typically made by a person posing for a photograph.

Words such as mamil (middle-aged man in Lycra), silvertail (a person who is socially prominent or who displays social aspirations) were also added to the online dictionary, Guardian reported.

Words from gaming terminology include respawn (a character in a video game who reappears after dying) and permadeath (one who does not reappear).

The dictionary has extended its coverage of Australian English terms, a particularly rich source of slang.

Words such as shiny bum (office worker), ant's pants (an outstandingly good person or thing), and sticker licker (an issuer of parking fines) also made it to the dictionary.

New words, senses and phrases are added to OxfordDictionaries.com once editors have gathered enough independent evidence to be confident that they are in wide use.