Oxford English Dictionary and the Word of the Year

The dirty secret behind new words

Every year, amidst much fanfare, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) announces their word of the year, along with several new words that have made it into the dictionary and many more that haven’t. This sets off the usual trifecta of social media outrage storm, filler chuckles on daytime television, and minor think pieces by minor thinkers. The whole thing is forgotten about in hours, days or careers, respectively, and the masses can forget about words until the same time next year.