Feeling ‘cheffy’? Here are all the food-related words that just made it into the dictionary
Words are full of pulchritude, and while using such a term to describe words as beautiful might seem a bit supercilious and sesquipedalian in this day and age, the truth is that the dictionary holds some true gems in its pages for anyone who loves a good vocable to cerebrate. Yes, any logophile can tell you: When the wordsmiths in charge of language add more words to our collective lexicon, it’s a thrill, ngl.
In September, the perspicacious minds at Merriam-Webster added a whopping 690 words and phrases to its dictionary — one of which was just used above: “ngl,” an informal abbreviation for the term “not gonna lie” or “not going to lie,” popularly used online in recent times.
“Signs of a healthy language include words being created, words being borrowed from other languages, and new meanings being given to existing words. Based on our most recent research, we are pleased to inform you that English is very (very!) healthy,” reads a blog post about the new additions.
The sources for these words come from all over, like a previously nonsensical one first coined on ‘The Simpsons,” believe it or not: “cromulent,” an informal adjective meaning acceptable or satisfactory.
The new terms added this go ’round run the gamut, from one that can be used to describe photos on Martha Stewart’s Instagram (“thirst trap”) to “chef’s kiss” which basically means “It’s a good thing,” if you think about it.
There’s a whole section Merriam-Webster has dedicated to food-related words, many of which have been trending on social media for some time. One such recently added word, “mid” — meaning so-so — inspired the TikTok hashtag #foodwasmid, which has more than 1.2 million views on the platform to date.
Here is the list of food-related words Merriam-Webster just added to its dictionary (including some not-strictly-culinary words that can certainly be applied to the culinary world):
bussin’ (adjective, African American English slang): extremely good: excellent; especially: delicious, tasty
cheffy (adjective): characteristic of or befitting a professional chef (as in showiness, complexity, or exoticness)
chef’s kiss (noun): a gesture of satisfaction or approval made by kissing the fingertips of one hand and then spreading the fingers with an outward motion — often used interjectionally
emping (noun): a slightly bitter cracker or chip popular in Indonesia that is made from the dried flattened seed of a melinjo tree (Gnetum gnemon)
’grammable (adjective): suitable to be posted on the Instagram photo-sharing service: Instagrammable
jollof rice: (noun) a West African dish of rice cooked in a sauce of tomatoes and onions seasoned usually with garlic, thyme, hot pepper, and other spices and often accompanied by meat, fish, or vegetables
mid (adjective, informal): neither very good nor very bad: so-so, meh
smashburger (noun) 1: a hamburger patty that is pressed thin onto a heated pan or griddle at the start of cooking; also: a patty (as of beans or ground turkey) prepared similarly; 2: a sandwich featuring one or more such patties
stage (noun) 1: a usually unpaid internship in a professional kitchen that is part of a chef’s training; 2: a person who holds such an internship: stagiaire
stagiaire (noun): a usually unpaid intern working in a professional kitchen as part of their training to become a chef: a cook who is doing a stage
zhuzh (noun): a small improvement, adjustment, or addition that completes the overall look, taste, etc. of something; verb: to improve in flavor or appearance by way of a small improvement, adjustment, or addition — often used with up
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
