Appeals news
Appeals news: results from WWI Appeals
Posted by OED_Editor on 13 June 2014 13.43
Evidence submitted from the WWI-related Appeals has now been incorporated in the latest OED update. Nine of the twelve requests yielded results which helped us to update the corresponding OED entries, including shell shock, conchie, demob, jusqu’auboutiste, and Zepps in a cloud. The Appeals pages have now been updated with results. Two words, camouflage and […]
Appeals News: Words from the First World War
Posted by OED_Editor on 31 January 2014 14.52
To commemorate the centenary of the start of the First World War (1914–18), the OED is revising a set of vocabulary related to or coined during the war. Part of the revision process involves searching for earlier or additional evidence, and for this we need your help. Our first quotations are often from newspapers and […]
Early Grey: The results of the OED Appeal on Earl Grey tea
Posted by OED_Editor on 3 April 2013 14.46
Charles, the 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845), was born on 13 March. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the early 1830s, but is most famous today for his association with Earl Grey tea, a type of China tea flavoured with the citrus extract bergamot. But did Earl Grey ever actually drink Earl […]
Appeals update: DIY and Ironman
Posted by OED_Editor on 27 February 2013 8.40
DIY: antedated by 1 year Our editors were looking for evidence earlier than 1955 for DIY (meaning do it yourself). ‘Hugo’ provided an example from a year earlier, from an Australian newspaper: One of the most useful tools now helping to popularise ‘D.-I.-Y.’ is the Black & Decker All Purpose Unit. 1954 Argus (Melbourne) 5 Nov. 9/1 […]
Results from our earliest appeals
Posted by OED_Editor on 4 December 2012 13.42
In October, the Oxford English Dictionary announced the launch of OED Appeals, a major online initiative that involves the public in tracing the history of English words. Using a dedicated community space on the OED website, editors asked for help in unearthing new information about the history and usage of English, including the earliest examples […]
The OED needs you! Announcing the new OED Appeals
Posted by OED_Editor on 2 October 2012 8.59
3 October 2012 Today the Oxford English Dictionary announces the launch of OED Appeals, a major online initiative that involves the public in tracing the history of English words. Using a dedicated community space on the OED website, editors are soliciting help in unearthing new information about the history and usage of English, including the earliest examples of particular words. The […]