Back in 2010, I did a post about a 1962 Webster's Illustrated Dictionary I'd bought that had a "newly-added words" section. New words/terms added that year included conga, boloney, racism, snafu and wacky, and I very much enjoyed going through the list. So much so, in fact, that for the past eight years, whenever I've seen an old dictionary at an estate sale, garage sale, or Good Will, I've checked to see if it has a "newly-added words" section. And I kid you not, I've probably leafed through 80 dictionaries over the past eight years, and not ONE of them had such a section/feature.
Until today.
And so I present...
1959, baby.
This recent find, Webster's NEW American Dictionary, was published by "Books, Inc." in New York. The 1962 version I found eight years ago, while still edited by the same group of old white men, was published by "Publisher's Company, Inc." out of Washington D.C. Perhaps because these two dictionaries were published independently of each other in different locations, some of the "new words" in the 1959 dictionary also appear as "new words" in the 1962 one. There is, disappointingly, a lot of overlap, but there are some exceptions. For example, "astronaut" appears in the 1962 dictionary, but not the 1959 one.
Just for fun, I decided to go through this 1959 "new words" list and pick out the most amusing words. Amusing to... well, me, of course. And to take it one step further, for each word/term I've Googled it and grabbed the 14th photo that appears. (Unless the 14th photo is too weird. Then I'll take the 13th or 15th instead.)
So won't you join me on this wacky conga line of boloney?
😊
Dictionary words are in bold
My observations are in red.
Air Raid Warden
Definition: A civilian officer in charge of a specific area for air-raid defense.
14th Google Photo:
(1959 seems a little late to be adding this one, but... carry on.)
Aussies
Definition: Slang. A name first given to Australian soldiers in World War I.
14th Google Photo:
(D'aw, look at the cute little soldier!)
Back Number
Definition: person or thing that is out of date.
14th Google Photo:
("You're still wearing Poodle Skirts, Linda? You are such a back number!")
Barbiturates
Definition: In chemistry, a group of drugs used as sedatives and hypnotics.
14th Google Photo:
(Are these supposed to look delicious?)
Beano
Definitions: 1. A gambling game employing numbers.
2. Slang A treat or spree; a beanfest.
14th Google Photo:
(Who doesn't enjoy a good beanfest?)
Big Shot
Definition: Slang. An important person.
14th Google Photo:
Bobby Socks
Definition: Colloq. Ankle-short socks.
14th Google Photo:
Bone Head
Definition: A dull-minded person.
14th Google Photo:
Bottleneck
Definitions: 1. A narrow opening.
2. A point where traffic becomes congested.
3. Any location or condition which impedes progress.
14th Google Photo:
Brunch
Definition: Colloq. A meal substituted for both breakfast and lunch.
14th Google Photo:
Chiclet
Definition: Trade-mark name for a candy-coated chewing gum; made from chicle.
14th Google Photo:
Chowmobile
Definition: Slang. A canteen trailer or truck used to transport and serve food to shipyard or factory workers, military personnel, or other groups.
14th Google Photo:
Collage
Definition: A surrealist "picture," made up of heterogeneous fragments, as seaweed, matchbooks, etc., pasted up and arranged with related lines and daubs of color.
14th Google Photo:
(Ah yes. Everyone remembers making collages in elementary school, complete with the obligatory seaweed and matchbooks.)
Congeroo
Definition: A vigorous dance; a combination of the jitterbug and the conga style of dancing.
14th Google Photo:
Culottes
Definition: Literally, breeches. A garment divided like trousers but having a full skirt: worn by women.
14th Google Photo:
Drag
Definition: Slang. A girl escorted to a dance or ball by a midshipman of the U.S. Naval Academy.
14th Google Photo:
(Who's to say this person wouldn't want to be escorted to a Naval Academy dance or ball?)
Filmstress
Definition: A motion picture actress.
14th Google Photo:
(If words can catch on I guess you could say this one caught off.)
Fluff
Definition: A slip of the script or of the tongue in a radio broadcast.
14th Google Photo:
Matilda
Definition: Austral. Colloq. A hobo's affectionate name for his bundle of possessions.
14th Google Photo:
(So a waltzing Matilda was a... oh, never mind.)
Mugger
Definition: Slang. A hoodlum or gangster who robs a victim while confining him in a stranglehold; usually in darkened, quiet city streets.
14th Google Photo:
Parapooch
Definition: Colloq. A dog trained to be dropped from an airplane by parachute.
14th Google Photo:
(But but but WHY?)
Phooey
Definition: An expression of contempt.
14th Google Photo:
Samba
Definition: A ballroom dance of Brazilian origin, danced by couples in a two-four step pattern with an accented musical accompaniment.
14th Google Photo:
Save Face
Definition: To act so as to avoid humiliation or disgrace.
14th Google Photo:
Smorgasbord
Definition: A Swedish buffet meal consisting of an abundance of foods.
14th Google Photo:
(Life before brunches and smorgasbords must have been brutal.)
Teenster
14th Google Photo:
Definition: Also, teenager.
(I'm strongly reminded of this for some reason.)
Tutu
Definition: The classical "powder puff" skirt of the ballet dancer.
14th Google Photo:
*****
P.S. New Words added to Webster's in 2018 include:
Hangry
TL;DR
Airplane mode
Predictive
Yorkie-poo
Force quit
Adorbs
Rando
Mansplain
Latinx
and
Glamping
If someone comes across this blog in 2077 and wants to make fun of these words, PLEASE DO IT.)
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