Gangnam style and Romneyshambles among Collins dictionary’s words of 2012

From The Guardian:

Angelina-Jolie-010In February, Angelina Jolie's pose at the Oscars “with her right leg jutting out of her high-slit dress” led to the adoption of a new word, “legbomb”. The word makes Collins' top 12 list, but its inclusion in the online dictionary is under review, as editors study evidence of its continuing use.

April's choice of “mummy porn”, by contrast, has already made it into the online dictionary, cited as the new name for erotic fiction following the success of Fifty Shades of Grey. Author EL James is unlikely to be happy, however: in a rare interview with the Irish Independent yesterday, she called Psy-gangnam-style-1the phrase “one of the most misogynist things I've ever heard in my life”, and “derogatory”.

Following choices of “Eurogeddon”, “Zuckered” – used after the plummet in share price that followed Facebook's initial public offering, but rejected for inclusion in the dictionary – and “jubilympics”, is November's pick of “Gangnam style”.

“South Korean musician Psy's catchy song became the most viewed video on YouTube in November with close to a billion views,” said Collins. “It has since spawned many spoofs in countries across the globe.” The phrase will be added to the online dictionary in its next update.

More here.