Beloved British author Roald Dahl is known both for his works of children’s literature and his utterly Dahl verbiage. Books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach are littered with fanciful, made-up words that have been repeated by both kids and adults in the years since they were published, despite the fact that, well, they weren’t real words. Until now.
To honor what would have been the author’s 100th birthday, the quarterly update to the Oxford English Dictionary includes a range of revised and newly drafted entries connected to Dahl and his writing. Among those revisions are updates to words such as scrummy, scrumptious, and splendiferous, as well as handful of new entries.
Those new additions include scrumdiddlyumptious, arguably the best word Dahl ever created and made famous in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. According to the OED, its official definition is "extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp. of food) delicious." The colloquialism human bean was also added and is defined as "a humorous alteration or mispronunciation of human being."
Below, a handful of other food words we can all thank Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the book and its film adaptations) for:
Everlasting Gobstopper: A candy that lasts forever. According to Willy Wonka, "you can suck 'em and suck 'em and suck 'em, and they'll never get any smaller."
Snozzberry: A mystery fruit that turns up in flavored wallpaper (and some claim is actually a really dirty euphemism).
Eggdicator: A machine that discriminates between bad eggs and good eggs.
Veruca Salt: An incredibly high-maintenance girl who, as her name suggests, tends to act rather salty.
Eatable: Another, more fun, word for edible. "Everything in this room in eatable," says Wonka.
In May, the Oxford University Press published a dictionary devoted entirely to the author, complete with 8,000 words and phrases he devised. It is, as we can now officially say, positively Dahlesque (another new entry in the OED, as of September 12).
• Six of Roald Dahl’s splendiferous words have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary [Quartz]
• New Words Notes September 2016 [OED]
• Beer O’clock, Cat Cafe, Hangry, and More Words Added to the Oxford English Dictionary [E]
FAQs
One of those words is “scrumdiddlyumptious,” which the OED defines as “Extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp.
Is scrumdiddlyumptious in the Oxford dictionary? ›
According to the OED, the official definition for "scrumdiddlyumptious" is "extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp. of food) delicious.” Golden ticket: "a (gold or golden-coloured) ticket, esp.
Is scrumdiddlyumptious actually a word? ›
Here's how the Oxford English Dictionary is defining the word: Scrumdiddlyumptious, adj: Extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp. of food) delicious. The dictionary also added "human bean," "a humorous alteration or mispronunciation of human being from James and the Giant Peach. "
When was scrumdiddlyumptious added to the dictionary? ›
Entry history for scrumdiddlyumptious, adj.
scrumdiddlyumptious, adj. was first published in September 2016.
When did scrumdiddlyumptious become a word? ›
of food) delicious.” Although the word was first found in The American Thesaurus of Slang in 1942, Dahl's giant's use of it planted it firmly in the minds of every child who read The BFG: “Every human bean is diddly and different. Some is scrumdiddlyumptious and some is uckyslush.”
What words have been removed from the Oxford dictionary? ›
These include Vitamin G, snollygoster, hodad, frutescent, and sternforemost. Each of these terms has the necessary attribute of just not being useful or used anymore. Vitamin G used to be the term for what's now known as riboflavin. Hodad comes from the 1960s and basically means a surfer poseur.
What is incorrect Oxford dictionary? ›
/ˌɪnkəˈrɛkt/ 1not accurate or true incorrect information/spelling His version of what happened is incorrect. Thesaurus. false. mistaken.
What is a snozzwanger? ›
Snozzwanger – "A snozzwanger is a deadly three-footed creature that lives in Loompaland and preys on Oompa-Loompas.
What movie is Scrumdiddlyumptious from? ›
In March 2010, Nestlé USA introduced a new line of chocolate bars named "Wonka Exceptionals", consisting of three varieties. The Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Bar (based on a bar of the same name from the 1971 film) consists of bits of toffee, cookie and peanuts in milk chocolate.
What is a fizzwiggler? ›
Fizzwiggler (noun): A fizzwiggler is someone who is mean and cruel. The BFG thinks that Mrs. Clonkers is a real fizzwiggler because she is cruel to the children in the norphanage. “'The filthy old fizzwiggler!' shouted the BFG. '
To celebrate the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth , the OED is also publishing new and revised Dahlesque entries that the author used in his writing, including Oompa Loompa, scrumdiddyumptious and human bean.
What words were deleted from the dictionary? ›
Words taken OUT of the dictionary
- Vitamin G: It now goes by its new name — riboflavin.
- Hodad: Comes from the 1960s and basically means someone pretending to be a surfer dude. ...
- Frutescent: An adjective meaning “like a shrub.”
- Sternforemost: A ship moving backward. ...
- Snollygoster: From the 19th century.
Bad; mean. Additional Information. Used as an insult Ex; don't be so lumpatious, you are so lumpatios, etc.
Is scrumdiddlyumptious a real word? ›
One of those words is “scrumdiddlyumptious,” which the OED defines as “Extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp.
Who owns scrumdiddlyumptious? ›
Scrum-did-dly-ump-tious is a delicious new brunch spot with a catchy new name that recently opened up in historic Downtown Lawrenceville. Two of the owners, Chef Aasiya Muslim and Marisa King talk with Sharon Lawson about making history as the first Black woman-owned restaurant in the area.
Is scrumdelicious a word? ›
Scrumdiddlyumptious is a delightful word often used to describe completely delicious food or a very attractive person. adj: Extremely scrumptious; excellent, splendid; (esp. of food) extremely tasty; delicious.
Why are some words not in Oxford dictionary? ›
Each year, OED editors scan thousands of documents — from academic journals and books to newspapers and tweets — to determine which words have become sufficiently common in the English language to become worthy of a dictionary definition.
What does discombobulated mean Oxford dictionary? ›
discombobulate somebody to confuse somebody and make them slightly anxious.
What does Cattywampus mean Cambridge Dictionary? ›
/ˌkæt.əˈwɒm.pəs/ (also cattywampus, us/ˌkæt̬.iˈwɑːm.pəs/ uk/ˌkæt.iˈwɒm.pəs/) Add to word list Add to word list. going badly, awkwardly, or in the wrong direction: The script is spoiled by its catawampus rhythms and its lack of consistency and plausibility.
