"Blootered" is, I feel, a worthwhile inclusion. Unquestionably Scottish in origin, it offers an evocative alternative to the more sober word, "drunk".
Not only does it feel Scottish but it has an almost onomatopoeic ring to it which I find quite appealing.
"Floordrobe" is another new entry with some linguistic merit. It is defined as "a pile of clothes left on the floor of a room."
Other new entries include "frenemy" (a person who is both a friend and a rival), "shabby chic" (stylish from the use of worn or distressed decor items), "tiger mother" (a strict mother who demands a high level of achievement from her offspring) and "mummy porn" (which has its origins in Fifty Shades of Grey).
The other side of the Atlantic is right up with the play too. Miriam-Webster's editors, though, do the sourcing themselves. They add new terms to their dictionary once they see that they have come into widespread use across a variety of American publications.
Some of the new 2012 listings are already well-used and well-known ("bucket list", "energy drink", "man cave" and "gastropub", for example) but some of the other new listings might have you wondering.
An "aha moment" (a moment of sudden realisation or insight) is credited to Oprah Winfrey and "copernicium" is a cutting-edge contribution from the world of science. It is the name of a new chemical element.
There is also a new meaning for "underwater" - having a mortgage loan on which more is owed than the property securing the loan is worth.
One new American entry fits exactly with something from which I suffer but, unfortunately, I don't like the word so won't be employing it.
But you might be grateful of it if you, like me, suffer from what I have always labelled with the admittedly cumbersome "last-song-on-the-car-stereo-when-I-got-out-and-keep-humming-it-syndrome". The new listing is "earworm".
There are other online dictionaries too and one of them - whether accurately or otherwise - attributes that word in my opening sentence as having its origins in Lower Hutt, New Zealand! It says "skux" (originally spelt "skuks") is usually used in a sentence such as "What a skux guy!" meaning good-looking with stylish clothing/hair and an ability to attract the opposite sex.
It's a versatile word which can be used in other contexts as well. It can be a noun ("He is a skux on the guitar"), an adjective ("He is skux at guitar") or it can be turned into a noun denoting a quality ("When he plays guitar people are in awe of his skuxness").
I'm sure the day will come when it is also used as a verb though, as I write this, I know of no recorded cases. An example might be: "He skuxxed his way through the party." Why not?
These dictionaries may indeed be pretty up-to-date but they still don't cover everything. For example, I would like there to be a word which describes that satisfying feeling one derives from popping the little bubbles on bubble wrap. (Apparently there is even virtual bubble wrap you can pop online!)
Please let me know if you can help out with a suitable word. Who knows, I may even go so far as to contribute it to Collins on your behalf. That'd be skux as, eh!
