New words in the Cambridge Dictionary like ‘boop’ give me the ick, but some are chef’s kiss - Wyn Drabble

Love Island helped perpetuate new words and phrases such as 'the ick', writes Wyn Drabble. Photo / ITV

Wyn Drabble is a teacher of English, writer, public speaker and musician. He is based in Hawke’s Bay.

OPINION

I’m always keen to know the latest new words in the language and the Cambridge Dictionary has recently released its annual picks.

I never like to lag behind with the lexicon so I was somewhat alarmed to find that I had not even heard of two of their top picks, “the ick” and “boop”.

When I discovered the reason for my ignorance, I was a little more relaxed about the holes in my knowledge; one really had to be a viewer of reality show Love Island to have heard “the ick”.

In case you’re not a fan either I’ll share the meaning with you: The ick - a sudden feeling that you dislike someone or something or are no longer attracted to someone because of something they do.

On reflection I’m kind of glad I’m not a fan of Love Island because “the ick” is not a phrase that even remotely ticks any of my boxes. If I ever use it, it will be satirically and with a grimace.

I’m not a great fan of “boop” either. Apparently it means a gentle hit or touch on the nose or head as a joke or to indicate affection but I think if someone used it to me that would give me the ick (grimace).

Dictionaries also list acronyms and some of these – LOL, YOLO – have stood the test of time. But I think I’ll pass on Cambridge’s new entry IYKYK. It stands for “if you know you know” but why you would want to say that, I don’t know.

Some of the new entries have merit. For example, I quite like “face journey” which describes someone’s series of expressions as they react to something.

“Chef’s kiss” has also made it into the Cambridge big book o’ words. It can be used to describe something excellent or it can mean that movement which involves putting your fingers and thumb together, kissing them, then pulling your hand away from your lips.

The world of gaming has also contributed some of the new listings, “speedrun” (completing a game or level of a game quickly) and “side quest” (an ancillary activity within a game).

“Side quest” has also moved outside the world of gaming into the wider world; it can mean someone’s attention being diverted by something unimportant, or someone disappearing from a group on a night out.

Cambridge’s word of the year for 2023 was “hallucinate” which may sound a trifle underwhelming but it has developed a new meaning since the arrival of AI. When applied to artificial intelligence it means to produce false information.

Other dictionaries also release yearly lists of new additions. Oxford University Press named “rizz” as their word of 2023. It’s a slang term for style, charm or attractiveness but can also be used to describe the ability to attract a romantic/sexual partner.

The latest updates I could find from Merriam-Webster were from 2023 but they also included “rizz”. And I also found the verb “crate-dig” (to shop for rare, vintage or obscure recordings especially by searching through crates of secondhand merchandise). “Cheffy” is an adjective meaning characteristic of or befitting a professional chef as in showiness, complexity or exoticness.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary updated its listings in March 2024 and new entries included “fungible” (mutually interchangeable), “spill the tea” (share gossip or interesting information), and VTuber (an online persona who entertains audiences by using a virtual avatar).

Some of you will be keen to incorporate a selection of these words and phrases into your upcoming conversations. Go for it!

But I will also understand people who avoid them like the plague because those words give them the ick.