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Divided by a Common Language

Two expressions submitted to the website caught my eye for the same reason recently. One of these was the adjective ‘kick-arse’, submitted by an Australian user, and the other was the idiomatic phrase ‘preach to the choir’, submitted by a user in the United… Read More
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Lucy Mangan loves your words

Well, hello again! And how’ve you been? I was fine until I heard someone on Radio 4 not only use the word ‘productise’ but do so without reproach, rebuke or reprimand from his interlocutor, or the Director General of the BBC immediately shutting down transmission and promising immediate repayment of… Read More
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Thinking Outside the Dictionary

A user of this website recently left a comment asking why we had chosen to mark as ‘rejected’ a word that another user had submitted. After all, the word had been invented and used by that person, so surely it should be included in the… Read More
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Lucy Mangan on the fortnight’s word submissions

Hello again! And how’ve you been? I am a near-broken woman after London Fashion Week – not that my body, wardrobe and penchant for consuming calories daily will collectively or individually attest to this, because I haven’t been anywhere near the shows. It’s because of the… Read More
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Lucy Mangan on the latest words to be submitted to the site

Another alternate Friday, another column picking the choicest blooms from the bouquet of offerings submitted to the stern-faced lexicographers at Collins’ online dictionary for consideration. Followed by a small rant, because I’m just in that kind of mood. And finishing with an award, because I like to go out on… Read More
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Lucy Mangan Sets Up Her Stall

I’m a Luddite in most areas of life. I don’t know what Blu-Ray or Bluetooth mean. I have only just moved from an ordinary to a smartphone, and I don’t know why everyone keeps laughing at me for choosing a… Read More
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Our 12 words of 2012

Earlier this year, CollinsDictionary.com opened its doors to new word submissions. Your response has been totes amazeballs and fandabidozi. To date we have taken almost 7,400 new word submissions, each and every one a celebration of our ever changing language and… Read More
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50 Most Often Viewed Words on CollinsDictionary.com

Which words are viewed most often on CollinsDictionary.com? Find out here, where we list the 50 most viewed words in each of the last 3 months. November 2012 1. amazeballs (definition of ‘amazeballs’)2. mummy porn (definition of ‘mummy porn’)3. hangry (definition of ‘hangry’)4. social… Read More
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