--- --- # Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Fo' Shizzle,' 'Masshole' and 'Hot Mess' ## Video: Top 5 Domestic Grossing Young Adult Novel Film Adaptations [Watch (HLS stream): Top 5 Domestic Grossing Young Adult Novel Film Adaptations](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GOoxcojn.m3u8) (2:12)  _Published 2015-06-21. Top 5 Domestic Grossing Young Adult Novel Film Adaptations_ by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Jun 24, 2015 10:55 PM UTC by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Jun 24, 2015 10:55 PM UTC The Oxford English Dictionary is a historical dictionary, which means that when its editors add a phrase such as _hot mess_ to their reference—as they did this week—they add every definition of the word they can find. The editors are like detectives, following phrases back to times when Anglo-Saxons were jabbering about peasants and overlords. The quarterly update reveals that in the 1800s, for instance, a “hot mess” was a warm meal, particularly one served to a group like troops. In the 1900s, people used _hot mess_ to refer to a difficult or uncomfortable situation. And in the 2000s, one used it to refer to [Amy Schumer](http://time.com/46267/hot-mess-history-amy-schumer/) (or, as they put it, something or someone in extreme confusion or disorder). _Twerk_, another new addition, might have been made famous by Miley Cyrus and a foam finger [in 2013](http://www.mtv.com/news/1713017/miley-cyrus-robin-thicke-vma-twerk/), but the editors traced its meaning back to 1820, when _twirk_ referred to a twisting or jerking movement. The precise origin of the word is uncertain, the editors say, but it may be a blend of _twist_ or _twitch_ and _jerk._ Their definition: “To dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner, using thrusting movements of the bottom and hips while in a low, squatting stance.” Here is a selection from the hundreds of words OED just added to its ranks, along with the earliest known usage and context provided by TIME. **autotune (v., 1997):** to alter or correct the pitch of (a musical or vocal performance) using an auto-tune device, software, etc. _The word has meant “to tune automatically” since 1958, when people were tuning radio transmitters rather than_ [_hilarious local news interviews_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw)_._ **backronym (n., 1983):** a contrived explanation of an existing word’s origin, positing it as an acronym. _When some guy tries to say that_ golf _is an acronym of “gentlemen only, ladies forbidden,” that is a backronym (and clever nonsense). It more likely comes from the Dutch word_ kolf_, which describes a stick used in sports_. **boiler room (n., 1892):** a place used as a center of operations for an election campaign, especially a room equipped for teams of volunteers to make telephone calls soliciting support for a party or candidate. _This phrase has been used to describe an actual room that contains boilers, as on a steamship, since_ 1820. **bridge-and-tunnel (adj., 1977):** of or designating a person from the outer boroughs or suburbs of a city, typically characterized as unsophisticated or unfashionable. _The phrase was first used by Manhattanites to describe people they thought unworthy of their island_. **cisgender (adj., 1999):** designating someone whose sense of personal identity corresponds to the sex and gender assigned to him or her at birth. _This word exists to serve as an equal and complement to_ transgender_._ [_You can read all about it here_](http://time.com/3636430/cisgender-definition/)_._ **FLOTUS (n., 1983):** the First Lady of the United States. _This is a true acronym, which appears to have been first applied to Nancy Reagan._ **fo’ shizzle (phr., 2001):** in the language of rap and hip-hop this means “for sure.” _Shizzle,_ _as a euphemism for sh-t, dates back to the ’90s_. _One can also be “the shizzle,” which is the best or most popular thing._ **half-ass (v., 1954):** to perform (an action or task) poorly or incompetently; to do (something) in a desultory or half-hearted manner. _One can also insult someone by calling them an “ass,” referring to the horse-like creature who has appeared in stories as the type who is clumsy or stupid since the time of the Greeks._ **koozie (n., 1982):** an insulating sleeve that fits over a beverage can or bottle to keep it cold. _Fun fact: that little cardboard thing one slips around a cup of coffee to keep it from burning one’s hand is known as_ [_a zarf_](http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/09/15-forgotten-english-words-you-should-know/)_._ **Masshole (n., 1989):** term of contempt for a native or inhabitant of the state of Massachusetts. _This is what is known as a blended word, which Lewis Carroll called portmanteaus, naming them after a suitcase that unfolds into two equal parts._ **sext (n., 2001):** a sexually explicit or suggestive message or image sent electronically, typically using a mobile phone. _Back in the 1500s, when someone referred to a “sext,” they were talking about a Christian worship ritual that involved chanting around midday._ **stanky (adj., 1972):** having a strong (usually unpleasant) smell. _The OED editors offer the comparison to_ skanky_, which means unattractive or offensive_, _as well as_ janky_, which refers to something that is untrustworthy or of poor quality_. ### Banned Books  Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh Chapman and Hall  The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini Riverhead Books  The Color Purple, by Alice Walker Harcourt Brace Jovanovich  In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak Harper Collins  Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume Yearling Oxford Dictionary Additions: 'Hot Mess,' 'Cisgender,' 'Masshole' ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/"},"headline":"Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Fo' Shizzle,' 'Masshole' and 'Hot Mess'","datePublished":"2015-06-24T22:55:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:40.395Z","description":"Some of the terms in Oxford's latest update are much older than you might think","url":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/","keywords":["Living","Newsfeed","language","Dictionary","Oxford"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katy Steinmetz","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/","name":"Oxford Dictionary Adds 'Fo' Shizzle,' 'Masshole' and 'Hot Mess'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Top 5 Domestic Grossing Young Adult Novel Film Adaptations","description":"Top 5 Domestic Grossing Young Adult Novel Film Adaptations","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/GOoxcojn/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-21T18:14:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GOoxcojn.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/","duration":"PT2M12S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3932402/oxford-dictionary-fo-shizzle-masshole-hot-mess/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```