London, August 31
“Mwah,” (sound of a noisy kiss)! “Hmm”, “hey” and “twittering” are among the 267 new words that have made it to this year’s Collins English Dictionary, thanks to the teenage generation of Internet users.

Utterances such as “hmm” and “heh” and sounds, that were traditionally used only in speech, have also spawned “mwah” and “meh” (an expression of dissatisfaction). And, users of popular social networking sites are also responsible for the resurgence of “heigh-ho” or “hey-ho”-an exclamation of weariness, disappointment, surprise, happiness that went out of fashion in the early 20th century-in the lexicon, “The Times” reported. Other Internet-derived terms include “noob, short for newbie, a term for someone unfamiliar with web etiquette and “woot, an expression of joy conveying a sense of achievement.

New abbreviations used for convenience in text messages such as “OMG” (short for ‘oh, my God’) and “soz” (short for sorry) are included too in the Collins dictionary. Some new words are more irritating than others. New portmanteau words purporting to describe a new trend include “staycation” (a combination of stay and vacation without going abroad) and “glamping” (glamorous camping). Traditionalists may also wince at “zeitgeisty” new forms of old words but are likely to be dismissed by more liberal linguists as “buzzkillers” (someone who stops other people from enjoying themselves). More palatable, is “beer o'clock” (a time considered appropriate to start drinking). Elaine Higgleton, the editorial director for Collins, said: “English is very good at absorbing new words. (But) in three or four years a lot of these words may have fallen out of use and might well come out of the dictionary.” — PTI