Oxford English Dictionary May Add ‘Manties,’ ‘Mewelry’
Oh. My. Word.
We may still be trying to wrap our heads around its recent addition of “mankini” and “jeggings” to its lexicon, but the Oxford English Dictionary is already plotting another vocabulary update that is leaving us tongue-tied.
Editors of the OED are “tracking” hybrid fashion terms like “manties” (men’s underwear), “mewelry” (men’s jewelry), and “mantyhose” (hosiery or leggings for men) for "possible inclusion" in a future edition, the Wall Street Journal reports.
But as amusing as these slang words are, some people are less than enthusiastic about giving them official dictionary status.
“Manties is pretty high on the repellent meter,” GQ style columnist Glenn O'Brien tells the newspaper.
Others see the new terminology (which includes “murses,” or bags for men, and “poots,” or leather pants that merge with boots) as merely emasculating.
“We’re interested in pushing the language forward and don't think there's a new way to use ‘man’ or ’bro,’” adds Esquire’s Ross McCammon, who argues that the words create a “cartoonish idea of men.”
Naysayers may have a saving grace. According to OED's senior editor of new words, Fiona McPherson, they require “evidence of a word’s usage over a 10-year period, before considering it for inclusion.”
McPherson explains to the WSJ that “manbag,” added five years ago, made the cut because it can actually be traced back to 1968.
We're still not sure how “mankini” and “jeggings” managed to bypass this rule, but we do know this: We’re totally phasing out “manties” by 2013. Got it?
