Wordhunt was a national appeal run by the ''
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'', looking for earlier evidence of the use of 50 words and phrases in the
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
. New evidence found by members of the public in response to the appeal appears in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. The appeal is a companion to the
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
television series ''
Balderdash and Piffle''.
First Wordhunt
The first Wordhunt was launched in 2005 by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' and the BBC and resulted in the OED updating the entries of 34 words and phrases, featured in the first series of ''Balderdash and Piffle'' broadcast in early 2006.
The 50 words and phrases were:
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balti
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Beeb
''BEEB'' was a weekly, children's magazine centred on the BBC's most popular programmes at the time of its publication. It was published by Polystyle Publications and was created as a competitor to ITV's Look-in magazine. It lasted 20 issues ...
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bog standard
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bonk
Bonk may refer to:
People
* Bonk (surname)
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bonk'' (video game series), a caveman character and video game series
*Bonk!, a soft drink company in the first-person shooting game ''Team Fortress 2''
* ''Bonk'' (al ...
*
bouncy castle
Bounce or The Bounce may refer to:
* Deflection (physics), the event where an object collides with and bounces against a plane surface
Books
* Mr. Bounce, a character from the Mr. Men series of children's books
Broadcasting, film and TV
* '' ...
*
boffin
Boffin is a British slang term for a scientist, engineer, or other person engaged in technical or scientific research and development. A "boffin" was viewed by some in the regular services as odd, quirky or peculiar, though quite bright and es ...
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bomber jacket
A flight jacket is a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. It has evolved into various styles and silhouettes, including the "letterman" jacket and the fashionable "bomber ...
*Crimble
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chattering classes
The chattering classes is a politically active, socially concerned and highly educated section of the "metropolitan middle class",
*