The new Chamber’s Dictionary is one of the biggest yet, with approximately two and a half million words added since its latest edition way back in the January of 2006. Speaking at the launch, chief editor, Professor Henry Reid, ran through some of his favourite additions to the volume. ‘Oh, without a doubt, I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t durdamningled my slippers this morning,’ he said, referring to the brand new verb created to explain the act of pulling a slipper over the heel of a foot. ‘Another of my favourites, is the new noun we have for the foil covering of yoghurt pots. We call that the “flollitop”, which I think is a quite delightful word. Flollitop.’

Less savoury additions include nearly forty seven new swear words that have found their way in. They include the verb ‘to parp’. ‘To say that somebody is a “parper” or even worse, a “fatherparper”, is considered the most offensive insult in certain parts of rural Dorsetshire,’ the Professor explained. ‘In fact, I nearly refused the word entry until I first heard it used late at night on Channel 4. Then I thought I was just being an old fashioned mugwurble and I better get manky with the new street pingu of these kids who like to get down and pretend they’re yokels.’

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