KEY POINTS:
Oh pur-leeze! Those awful cliches "less is more" and "x is the new black" - uttered by people who want to sound intelligent without troubling their brains - are officially part of the English language.
Both the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and the Collins English Dictionary have this week announced lists of words and phrases that they have included for the first time.
New entries to the sixth edition of the Shorter Oxford carry a heavily green tinge: "biosecurity", "carbon footprint", "carbon neutral", and "Chelsea tractor".
Others are "addy", meaning an email address; and "webinar", a seminar conducted on the net. Among expressions: "less is more", "the new black", "take a chill pill" and "yummy mummy".
Collins revealed some new entrants to its upcoming online biographical section: Kate Middleton, Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Daniel Radcliffe, David Cameron, and the Duchess of Cornwall.
- Independent
