The Oxford English Dictionary, that most revered of word repositories, has just released its newest additions to its enormous list of nouns, verbs, adjectives and other parts of speech that most of us have long forgotten.
There was much media hoopla over the addition of text-speak like LOL, OMG, IMHO, BFF and the symbol ♥ alongside the word “heart” to its online list of definitions.
It also added one easily misunderstood right now: TMI. That abbreviation or “initialism” has always meant Three Mile Island, which entered our minds 32 years ago, today. But the OED explains that TMI means Too Much Information…and oh, do I agree. This is an initialism whose time has come.
The lexicographers say some of these abbreviations are far older than most believe. They found that OMG was first used in 1917, in a personal letter. LOL has been around since 1960, the report added, saying that it meant something quite different, with the letters standing for Little Old Lady.
But the additions of most interest to readers of The Food Watchdog may be the OED’s additions to the language of foodies.
The tome’s chief editor, John Simpson, says that as the culinary appetites of the English-speaking world grow ever more diverse, words referring to new cuisines are a perennial source of new OED entries.
The update issued on March 24th included:
Banh mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich sold in Asian takeout spots that are springing up everywhere, it seems. It is served on a baguette, filled with thinly sliced pickled carrots. cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, mayonnaise and various meat fillings like roasted or grilled pork, pork belly or tofu.
Taquito, which is a corn tortilla rolled in a similar fashion with a filling of beef, chicken or cheese and fried until crisp.
Kleftiko, a Greek celebratory dish consisting of lamb marinated with lemon juice and herbs and cooked slowly in a sealed container or inside parchment paper or aluminum foil.
California roll, a favorite for neophyte sushi eaters with rice rolls containing cucumber, crab, avocado and sometimes fish roe.
Rugelach: A crescent-shaped pastry stuffed with cinnamon, raisins or chocolate and made with cream cheese; a staple of a good Jewish kitchen.
From a land down under, Australian English enters the dictionary for the first time with the term Flat White, which OED says is a style of espresso drink with finely textured foamed milk.
Crème de cassis, a blood-red, sweet, black currant-flavored liqueur that dates back to the 16th century and is heavily used by adventurous bartenders today.
Gremolata, a garnish made of minced parsley, lemon peel and garlic which is sprinkled over dishes to add a fresh, sprightly flavor.
Spiedies, which are marinated cubes of meat cooked on a skewer. Initially from Italy and made of lamb, today pork, chicken, veal, venison, and beef can be placed on the skewers.
It offered dual definitions for Muffin Top. The first being the top portion of such a muffin cooked in a special shallow tin so that it consists mainly of the crispy top part. The second part explains the love handles or extra flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of pants.
The collection of 600,000 words also now addresses the all important ten-second rule, which allows for the safe eating of a delicious morsel that has fallen to the floor, provided that it is retrieved within the specified period of time.
In some demographics, of course, the rules allow for a more severe limit of just three or five seconds.
