Oxford Dictionary Just Added A Bunch Of Malaysia's Favourite Words To Its Latest Edition
Students, you can now use these words in your English essays. ;)
By Samantha Khor — 13 Sep 2016, 10:25 AM
Our local eateries must have a fan within the ranks of Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) editors, because the words "mamak" and "kopitiam" have been added to its list of new words!
Continuing with the food theme, "char koay teow", "rendang", and "chicken rice" - dishes popular among Malaysians and Singaporeans - are also included in the list of new entries
Dishes made popular in the Philippines such as 'balut' (a developing bird embryo boiled and eaten from the shell) and 'pancit' (noodles) have also been added to the list.
Some words familiar to Malaysians also booked a spot in the list, such as "ang pow" and its Mandarin equivalent "hong bao", "Ah Beng", exclamations "aiyoh" and "aiyah", as well as "atas".
"Ang pow" and "hong bao" refer to red packets containing money, typically received during Chinese New Year and weddings.
"Ah Beng" is a term typically used in Malaysian and Singapore to describe loud, unsophisticated Chinese men, while "aiyoh" and "aiyah" are usually used to express frustration and disappointment respectively.
"Atas", an unexpected addition to the list, describes a high social status or a luxurious lifestyle.
The recent update to the OED contains more than 500 new words, phrases, and senses, including "clickbait", "moobs" (a portmanteau of "man" and "boobs"), "YOLO", and even Star Wars character "Yoda"
The September update also paid homage to Roald Dahl, with the addition of entries connected to the author's writing such as "splendiferous", "scrumdiddlyumptious", and "human bean" to mark his 100th birthday.
You can check out the full list here.
The Oxford English Dictionary is updated four times every year i.e. in March, June, September, and December.