Scrabble bible gets 'ridic' street slang update

Eliana Rosenthal, left, and Lucy Levenson play scrabble in a club at school. Photo / Getty

It is one of the latest words to be added to the Scrabble lexicon, but it also encapsulates the reaction of some traditionalists to the new list: shoutout.

The word, in fact a public greeting, as in a "shoutout" to friends listening to a radio phone-in, is one of 6,500 new words added to the game's official dictionary, including "lolz" for "laughs out loud" and "shizzle", which is American rap slang.

The list, which will be added to the bible used to judge tournaments along with the existing quarter of a million allowed words, also includes textspeak abbreviations such as "lotsa" for lots of, "newb" for newbie and "obvs" for obviously.

Wuz, a "non-standard spelling of was", is given the green light, as are onomatopoeic interjections such as "grr", "waah" and "yeesh". But some seasoned players have complained that the additions are ridiculous, or "ridic" as the new list would have it.

Sue Bowman, membership secretary of the British Association of Scrabble Players, said the compilation was "an abuse of the English language".

"A lot of tournament players are not particularly happy about the new words that are being included," said the former champion for the South West, who has been playing the game for 60 years.

"They seem very artificial, she said.

"It is mainly youth culture and American influence. Each generation has had its own slang that becomes part of the common parlance. With time, I suppose some of these words will [but] I am not a great fan of textspeak."

The 67-year-old retired NHS administrator said there was no need for a new list, and dismissed it as a "huge marketing ploy" by the publisher of Official Scrabble Words, Collins. She failed to provide The Telegraph with the correct definitions for "bezzy" (best friend) and "dench" (excellent).

Not that her opposition will extend as far as boycotting the new words. In fact, the association is circulating a 20-page "initiation kit" briefing members on the changes before they are officially accepted on 1 September.

She added: "As a Scrabble player some of the words are going to be very, very useful. You don't have to like them to use them."

Others pointed out that the list merely reflected changes in usage, with the inclusion of "devo", as in the "devo max" option in last year's Scottish referendum.

Gyles Brandreth, the comedian who founded the National Scrabble Championship in 1971, backs the changes and said: "I think it adds to the richness. The truth is that words from India, Africa and the Far East are enriching our language as is urban slang."

Helen Newstead, head of language content at Collins, said social media now provided compilers with more evidence of informal English than ever before.

"Obviously we have added some slang words but we have added lots of other interesting and rare words," she said.

"There is something for everyone."

New words

Bezzy - best friend (18 points)
Cakehole - mouth (17 points)
Devo - short for devolution (8 points)
Lolz - laughs at someone else's or one's own expense (13 points)
Onesie - one-piece garment combining a top with trousers (6 points)
Shizzle - a form of US rap slang (18 points)
Thanx - thank you (15 points)
Twerking - type of dance involving rapid hip movement (16 points)
Vape - to inhale nicotine vapour (from an electronic cigarette) (9 points)
Emoji - digital icon used in electronic communication (14 points)