If you’ve ever had a ride on the back or the handlebars of someone else’s bike, is it a _backie_ or a _croggie_? Would you describe a good time as _barry_, _splann_, _champion_, _gas_, or a _gurt lush_? Do you refer to the love of your life as your _doy_, _hen_, _pet_, _babber,_ or _hinny_?
This month, the Oxford English Dictionary marks its 90th birthday and as part of our celebrations, we are launching four new word appeals and we would love your help spreading… well, the word. Our first appeal is called ‘_WORDS WHERE YOU ARE’ [1]_.
All of us can probably recall a time when a word we’ve known and been using for years turns out to be baffling to people from other parts of the country. While many such words are common in speech, some are rarely written down and so can easily escape the attention of dictionary editors. The _OED_ continues its mission to create the most comprehensive, accurate, and up to date picture of how and where these words are used, and we need your help.
WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS THAT ARE DISTINCTIVE TO WHERE YOUR READERS LIVE OR WHERE THEY ARE FROM. TO INTERVIEW A DICTIONARY EDITOR ABOUT OUR _WORDS WHERE YOU ARE _CAMPAIGN, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH. ASK YOUR READERS TO SEND THEIR WORDS TO OUR WEBSITE [2] OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ON TWITTER AT #WORDSWHEREYOUARE.
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