OED news

[Laurence Horn]

At 5:46 PM +0100 7/12/01, Lynne Murphy wrote:
>The latest AP story on the OED.  Wow!  The OED contains words having to do
>with technology.  Who'da thunk it?
>
>http://salon.com/tech/wire/2001/07/11/oxford/index.html
>
Somehow, I predict that one of the cited texters' abbreviations will
not survive as an acronym, despite its obvious pronounceability.
Know what I mean?

                               Oxford Dictionary adds tech jargon

                               - - - - - - - - - - - -
                               Associated Press

                               July 11, 2001

                               The dictionary's editors have certainly
picked up on the recent
                               craze in text messaging.

                               Swayed by the nearly 1 billion text
messages sent each month by
                               mobile phone users in Britain, Oxford
editors have included an
                               appendix of common abbreviations used
by "texters" as they
                               wrestle with the limitations of their
phones' tiny screens and
                               keypads.

                               "RUOK" means "Are you OK?"; "OIC"
stands for "Oh, I see"; and
                               "KWIM" is short for "Know what I mean?"
Then there are the
                               sign-offs: "BCNU" (Be seeing you) and
"BFN" (Bye for now).