‘Blandify’, ‘stroopwafel’ among new Oxford English Dictionary words added in December 2024
Other additions in the dictionary’s quarterly update include ‘non-player character’, ‘cheat code’, ‘snark’ and ‘three-dimensional chess’
Words commonly used in association with video games and the name of a Dutch sweet treat are among the terms that have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
The new additions come as part of the dictionary’s quarterly update and include “player character” and “non-player character”, along with their abbreviations PC and NPC, meaning characters those playing video games can and cannot control, respectively.
“Cheat code” and “cutscene” are also among the gaming terms added to the dictionary, with the former meaning a code that is entered to give a player access to hidden features, and the latter meaning a scene that is watched in between gameplay.
Elsewhere, “stroopwafel” has been added to the dictionary, thanks to the treat’s growing popularity in the UK. The snack, which originated in the Netherlands, consists of two thin waffles separated by a syrup or caramel filling and is traditionally placed on top of a hot drink to warm it.
“Snark”, meaning a person who complains in an indirect or sarcastic way, “blandify”, which means to make something bland, and the phrase “cosy crime”, which means a genre of crime novels without graphic descriptions of violence, have also been added.
