Oxford adds 1,400 new words to the dictionary, 'idiocracy' makes it too!
Idiocracy refers to a government formed of people considered stupid, ignorant or idiotic.
By PTI |
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LONDON: Idiocracy - a government formed of people considered ignorant or idiotic - is among 1,400 new words, senses, and phrases added in the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary. The dictionary records over 100 words derived ultimately from the Greek suffix -cracy, meaning 'power' or 'rule'.
The new addition idiocracy, refers to a society consisting of or governed by people characterised as idiots, or a government formed of people considered stupid, ignorant, or idiotic.
Words like democracy and aristocracy originated in ancient Greek, but by the 18th century, -ocracy was being added to English words, as in statocracy and mobocracy.
In the 19th century, the trickle of such formations became a flood, with many of the new words being terms of ridicule, a tradition to which idiocracy belongs; the earlier terms foolocracy (1832) and idiotocracy (used by Ambrose Bierce in 1909) express a similar concept.
TL:DR, Bingeable & Other Tech Words That Made Their Debut In The Dictionary
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Merriam Webster recently introduced over 840 words to the dictionary, including some that were inspired by today’s digital lifestyle.
We list some of the favourite tech-inspired words:
(Text: Shannon Tellis)
Merriam Webster recently introduced over 840 words to the dictionary, including some that were inspired by today’s digital lifestyle.
We list some of the favourite tech-inspired words:
(Text: Shann..
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When you have thousands of videos available for streaming at your fingertips, it’s hard to stop at just one. Taking the concept of ‘bingeing’ one step further, ‘bingeable’ refers to a product or series that has multiple episodes or parts which can be clubbed together and watched rapidly in quick succession.
When you have thousands of videos available for streaming at your fingertips, it’s hard to stop at just one. Taking the concept of ‘bingeing’ one step further, ‘bingeable’ refers to a product or ser..
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If you have ever dealt with an unresponsive app, you’ll recognise this one. Used as a transitive verb, ‘force quit’ is what you click when you want to shut down an unresponsive computer program by using a series of preset keystrokes.
If you have ever dealt with an unresponsive app, you’ll recognise this one. Used as a transitive verb, ‘force quit’ is what you click when you want to shut down an unresponsive computer program by u..
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A handy operating mode for electronic devices (mobile phones or tablets) wherein you cannot connect to wireless networks or send or receive communications (calls or texts) but can use the device for all other functions like reading a book or watching a previouslydownloaded movie. While commonly used during flights, you can also use this mode to intercept pesky pings during important meetings or when you need that beauty sleep.
A handy operating mode for electronic devices (mobile phones or tablets) wherein you cannot connect to wireless networks or send or receive communications (calls or texts) but can use the device for..
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An outcome of people messaging abbreviations for quicker clarity, TL:DR signifies ‘too long; didn’t read’ and is used to indicate something that would take too much time to read. It can also be used to indicate a quick summary of a longer text or passage.
An outcome of people messaging abbreviations for quicker clarity, TL:DR signifies ‘too long; didn’t read’ and is used to indicate something that would take too much time to read. It can also be used..
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Haptics studies the sense of touch, more specifically the sense that comes from interacting with an electronic interface such as a gaming console or a smartphone.
So, the next time you’re touch-typing a text, you might want to pay closer attention to your digits.
Haptics studies the sense of touch, more specifically the sense that comes from interacting with an electronic interface such as a gaming console or a smartphone.
So, the next time you’re touch-typ..
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Products or companies that use newly developed digital technology for banking or financial services.
Products or companies that use newly developed digital technology for banking or financial services.
When those outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment alter or manipulate living organisms to improve the qualities associated.
When those outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment alter or manipulate living organisms to improve the qualities associated.
Using data of past behaviour to predict habits or patterns. For example, predictive text has trapped many millennials in a sticky situation.
Using data of past behaviour to predict habits or patterns. For example, predictive text has trapped many millennials in a sticky situation.
Idiocracy itself is first attested in 1967, but it owes its current prominence to the title of the satirical 2006 film Idiocracy, which depicts a dystopian future in which the human race has become extremely ignorant, stupid, and anti-intellectual.
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The quaterly update also added the term 'trapo'. In Philippine English, trapo which describes a politician perceived as belonging to a conventional and corrupt ruling class.
Trapo's is an abbreviation of the English phrase 'traditional politician', but with punning allusion to the Tagalog word trapo ('rag'), which in turn is borrowed from Spanish.
Another new item from Philippine English is the adjective bongga, borrowed from Tagalog, which means extravagant, flamboyant, impressive, stylish, or excellent.
Typos, Missing Commas, And Other Grammatical Mistakes That Led To Huge Losses
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A single spelling mistake can cause a butterfly effect worth millions — a lesson these companies and individuals learnt the hard way.
A single spelling mistake can cause a butterfly effect worth millions — a lesson these companies and individuals learnt the hard way.
In what is probably one of the most unfortunate typos in history, on July 22, 1962, NASA launched and destroyed its ambitious rocket, Mariner I. Less than five minutes into flight, the rocket exploded, setting back the US government by $80 million. The root cause for this disaster? A lone omitted hyphen, somewhere deep in hand-transcribed mathematical code. Reports suggested that a programmer at NASA had left out the symbol while entering a “mass of coded information.” In his 1968 book The Promise of Space, author Arthur C Clarke memorialised the typo as “the most expensive hyphen in history”.
(Image: www.nasa.gov)
In what is probably one of the most unfortunate typos in history, on July 22, 1962, NASA launched and destroyed its ambitious rocket, Mariner I. Less than five minutes into flight, the rocket explod..
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In 1872, one misplaced comma cost the US Government $2 million. To put that in perspective, today that comma would be worth over $50 million. The tiny error was made in the US Tariff Act where instead of making tropical ‘fruitplants’ exempt from tariffs, the act used the wording ‘fruit, plants.’ That rogue comma meant that all tropical fruit and plants were free from charge. The government did eventually correct the typo, but until after two years of lost revenue.
In 1872, one misplaced comma cost the US Government $2 million. To put that in perspective, today that comma would be worth over $50 million. The tiny error was made in the US Tariff Act where inste..
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In 2006, Italian airline Alitalia accidentally listed businessclass flights from Toronto to Cyprus at $39, instead of $3,900. Two thousand quick-thinking travelers took advantage of the mistake, booking tickets as fast as they could. When the airline tried to cancel the tickets, they suffered a massive backlash from their customers. Worried about their reputation, Alitalia decided to cut its losses and allowed the budget ticket holders to fly; a move which improved public relations, but cost the company $7.2 million.
In 2006, Italian airline Alitalia accidentally listed businessclass flights from Toronto to Cyprus at $39, instead of $3,900. Two thousand quick-thinking travelers took advantage of the mistake, boo..
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In 2015, the British Government listed family business Taylor and Sons as a business facing liquidation.
Unfortunately, the business they meant to list was Taylor and Son – an entirely different company. As a result of the mix up, a 124-year-old thriving company went bankrupt after its clients backed out of deals, suppliers cancelled contracts and creditors withdrew investment. Taylor and Sons took the British Government to court, where it was handed a $11 million compensation bill.
In 2015, the British Government listed family business Taylor and Sons as a business facing liquidation.
Unfortunately, the business they meant to list was Taylor and Son – an entirely different co..
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In 2005, Japanese financial company Mizuho lost a quarter of a million dollars in less than a day, thanks to an administrative typo. While trying to sell shares of a recruiting agency on the Japanese stock exchange, the bank accidentally listed 610,000 shares of the company at one yen each – instead of each share costing 610,000 yen. As a result, Mizuho lost the equivalent of its entire profit from the previous year, in less than a single trading day.
In 2005, Japanese financial company Mizuho lost a quarter of a million dollars in less than a day, thanks to an administrative typo. While trying to sell shares of a recruiting agency on the Japanes..
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Remember the good ol’ days when companies ran ads in the Yellow Pages? One such ad for a California-based travel firm Banner Travel Services however made the firm a laughing stock thanks to a typo made by the phone book. In the ad, the company’s ‘exotic’ destinations were listed as ‘erotic’. Whilst it might have drummed up some attention, it wasn’t all welcome. A bunch of Banner lawyers sued Yellow Pages for $10 million for the damages.
Remember the good ol’ days when companies ran ads in the Yellow Pages? One such ad for a California-based travel firm Banner Travel Services however made the firm a laughing stock thanks to a typo m..
The Oxford English Dictionary undergoes revision four times every year. Apart from new words and phrases, new senses are added to existing words.
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Some new entries are in fact extremely old, that were not identified in previous editions.
This update sees the addition of bedunged -- that has been soiled with or covered in dung -- which is first recorded from the early 15th century.
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It persists in modern use, but is now considered archaic or used self-consciously for stylistic effect, as in a newspaper article from 2000 that referred scornfully to 'the Young British Artists with their bedunged Madonna and mutilated mannequins'.
