November 17, 2008

• Meh.

  Got this from a friend today:

  Nov 17, 2008
  Meh’ enters dictionary

  LONDON – AT LEAST someone is excited  about ‘meh’. The expression of indifference or boredom has gained a place  in the Collins English dictionary after generating a surprising amount of  enthusiasm among lexicographers. 

  Publisher HarperCollins announced on Monday the word had been chosen  from |terms suggested by the public for inclusion in the dictionary’s 30th anniversary edition, to be published next year.  

  The origins of ‘meh’ are murky, but the term grew in popularity after being used in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons in which Homer suggests a day trip to his children Bart and Lisa. 

  ‘They both just reply ‘meh’ and keep watching TV’, said Mr Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries. 

  The dictionary defines ‘meh’ as an expression of indifference or  boredom, or an adjective meaning mediocre or boring. Examples given by the dictionary include ‘the Canadian election was so meh’. 

  The dictionary’s compilers said the word originated in North America, spread through the Internet and was now entering British spoken English. 

  ‘This is a new interjection from the US that seems to have inveigled  its way into common speech over here,’ Mr McKeown said. 

  ‘Internet forums and e-mail are playing a big part in formalising the spellings of vocal interjections like these. A couple of other examples would be ‘hmm’ and ‘heh’. 

  ‘Meh’ was selected by Collins after it asked people to submit words  they use in conversation that are not in the dictionary. Other suggestions included jargonaut, a fan of jargon; frenemy, an enemy disguised as a friend; and huggles, a hybrid of hugs and snuggles. –  AP 

  • 6:34 am
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