Internet Jargon Gets Official

By Alyssa – University Of Maryland

Renewing my phone plan last month lead my mom to take advantage of a BOGO deal on touch screen phones and she’s been sending text abbrevs and emoticons ever since. It’s exhausting. But apparently she and the Oxford English Dictionary have one thing in common: they’re finally catching on to the abbreviations and slang that us cool kids have been typing out for years.

Yes, it’s official, peeps. 2011 is leaving its mark (or blemish) on history with the addition of a few choice words to the good ole’ dictionary. Among the words to made the cut: “OMG,” “muffin top” and “LOL.” What a legacy we’re leaving behind for our children.

I can only imagine what those definitions are going to look like:

LOL: [el-oh-el] verb. Abbrevation for “laughing out loud.” Once only used in email and text messages, now seen in the daily vernacular of many. Often used accompanied by an appropriate emoticon. [See emoticon in the 2012 edition.] Sometimes used in text messages in case your type of funny isn’t their type of funny. In context, “I just ran over my cat. He’s okay, but we’re taking him to the vet just in case. LOL.”

OMG: [o-em-gee] interjection. Abbreviation for “oh my god.” Originally a shorthand version of “Oh My God” many now use it in speech (even though it is not shorter to say that than the full phrase). Excited response to something major, though often not major at all. In context, “OMG. I just realized I was wearing my shirt inside out 20 minutes into lecture.”

Muffin Top: [muhf-in top]. noun. The effect of too-tight or too-low pants when one’s extra stomach fat hangs over the top of his or her waistband. See also: Freshman 15.  In context, “OMG. Did you see that girl’s muffin top? Someone should lay off the Sun Chips, LOL.”

God, help us all.