'Boop', 'the ick', 'chef's kiss' new additions to ‘Cambridge Dictionary'

London: Informal words used as slang, such as ‘boop' and ‘the ick', are among more than 3,200 new words and phrases added to the ‘Cambridge Dictionary' in its latest update this week.

Boop, which is defined as “a gentle hit or touch on a person's or animal's nose or head, showing that you like them or as a joke”, and 'the ick', which refers to “a sudden feeling that you dislike someone or something or are no longer attracted to someone because of something they do”, are among the slangs to make it to the online edition for 2024 so far.

'Chef's kiss', or a movement in which you put your fingers and thumb together, kiss them, then pull your hand away from your lips as a way of showing that you think that something or someone is perfect or excellent, is another such informal phrase that has been recognised formally.

“Language is always changing, and this means that the ‘Cambridge Dictionary' team stays busy researching new words and meanings that enter the English language,” the dictionary said in a statement on Thursday.

“Many new additions come from the fields of science and technology, including 'scicomm' – the activity of explaining scientific work and information to people who are not scientists, or articles, talks, etc. that do this, and deepsky – existing in or relating to the part of space outside the solar system,” it said.

A few other quirky additions include IYKYK, which is the written abbreviation for “if you know you know”. It is used mostly on social media and in text messages to imply a shared joke or shared knowledge with the reader that other people might not understand. (AP)