Friday
We can't put a wrap on the new dictionary words for 2011 without paying homage to the official keeper of the mother tongue, the Oxford English Dictionary (or, to those in the know, the OED). The OED adds an average of 4,000 words every year. FlashFiction.net has whittled the list down to about ten prompt-friendly selections.
Your mission: Write a flash using at least five of the following words (a few are texting acronyms, so we're counting them as one list entry).
brain candy n. Broadly appealing, undemanding entertainment which is not intellectually stimulating. OED already has eye-candy and ear candy. [1968]
earworm n A catchy tune or piece of music which persistently stays in a person's mind, esp. to the point of irritation. [1991; earlier senses, meaning 'an earwig' and 'a counsellor who gives advice in secret' date to 1598 and before 1670 respectively]
muffin top n. 1. The top of a muffin; spec part which rises above the rim of the tin or cup during baking; (now also) a type of muffin intended to resemble this, baked in a specially designed tin with shallow depressions. 2. slang. A roll of flesh which hangs visibly over a person's (esp. a woman's) tight-fitting waistband.
OMG [OMG int. (andn.) and adj.]: 'Oh my God' (or sometimes 'gosh', 'goodness', etc.).
LOL [LOL int. and n./2]: 'laughing out loud'
FYI phr., adj., and n. For your information (typically preceding or following an explanatory statement).
tinfoil hat n. A hat made from tinfoil. a As worn at a party, celebration, etc. b With allusion to the belief that such a hat protects the wearer from mind control, surveillance, or similar types of threat.
over-accessorized adj. Chiefly Fashion. Having too many accessories, provided with accessories which are too ostentatious; characterized by overuse of accessories.
zero emission n (also zero emissions) Emission of no or very few pollutants; frequently attributive or as adjective, especially in zero-emission vehicle. [1971] n. (also zero emissions) Emission of no or very few pollutants; frequently attributive or as adjective, especially in zero-emission vehicle. [1971]
urb n. An urban area, a city. Frequently contrasted with suburb. [1952]
couch surfing n. 1. The action or habit of engaging in sedentary activities, esp. watching television. 2. The action or practice of sleeping overnight on a couch (or in similar makeshift accommodations) as a houseguest, esp. in a series of homes (often as a substitute for permanent housing).
auto-complete n. A software feature that uses text already entered in a given field to predict or generate the characters the user is likely to enter next; familiar to anyone who has used predictive text or search boxes on websites. [First recorded in 1992].
About the Author
Rich Grohowski graduated from Kutztown University with degrees in English and Geography, two things for which no one wants to pay you money. So, naturally, he's hoping to hit the big bucks in flash fiction. Along with recently finishing his Teaching Certification at Immaculata University, he is an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) candidate at Rosemont College. His non-fiction writing about food, culture, real estate, and interesting personal histories (pretty much anything, really) has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and even a couple of books.For further reading, check out FlashFiction.Net's suggested readings of flash fiction and prose poetry collections, anthologies, and craft books, by clicking here.
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