Brexit may mean Brexit to Theresa May, but the Oxford¹ English Dictionary has come to the aid of those who wish for a less opaque² definition. 

 

Brexit一词也许只有在特里莎·梅眼里是“脱欧”的意思，对于许多人来说，该词的定义仍然模糊不清。近日《牛津英语词典》帮助大家释义解惑。

 

The word is among 1,500 new words added to the dictionary this week. 

 

OED editors steered³ clear of political controversy⁴ by defining the process of Brexit rather than its consequences or implementation⁵. 

 

The definition reads: The (proposed) withdrawal⁶ of the United Kingdom from the European Union, and the political process associated with it. Sometimes used specifically with reference to the referendum held in the UK on 23 June 2016, in which a majority of voters favoured withdrawal from the EU.

 

As Grexit - Greece's hypothetical exit from the EU- has also been added to the OED this month, it is expected that should momentum⁷ grow for EU membership referendums elsewhere Nexit (Netherlands), Frexit (France) and Oexit (Austria) will follow Brexit into the dictionary. 

 

The influence of social media is visible in many of the new coinages. 

 

YouTubers, defined as frequent user of the video-sharing website YouTube, especially someone who produces and appears in videos on the site is included in the dictionary for the first time. 

 

Anyone who stands up to internet trolls can now legitimately⁸ call themselves an upstander - a person who speaks or acts in support of a cause, especially one who intervenes on behalf of a person being attacked or bullied⁹. 

 

A number of newly listed words and phrases have migrated from pop music, notably¹⁰ "get your freak on": defined as US slang (chiefly in African-American usage) 1) to engage in sexual activity, especially of an unconventional or uninhibited nature. 2) To dance, esp. in an uninhibited, wild, or exuberant¹¹ fashion.

 

Among the latest technical terms to have been added are examples of surfer lingo¹² for wave types and surfing techniques. 

 

As usual, a raft of management speak makes it into the dictionary, led by out-strategise: a verb by to outmanoeuvre (an opponent, rival, etc.); to outdo in strategising. 

 

Though many additions to the 829,000 words in the dictionary arise from young people and social media, others reflect the ageing population. 

 

Leading the way for Baby Boomers is glam-ma: a glamorous¹³ grandmother, especially one who is comparatively young or fashion-conscious.

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