Did you know that the first use of OMG was actually in a letter from 1917? And that in the 60s, LOL meant "little old lady"? The word nerds at the Oxford English Dictionary do.

The dictionary's newest edition, out online today, includes pre-teen shorthand OMG (oh my god/gosh/goodness!) LOL and the symbol for heart (<3). The OED's site explains that, in using these words:

Did you know that the first use of OMG was actually in a letter from 1917? And that in the 60s, LOL meant "little old lady"? The word nerds at the Oxford English Dictionary do.

The dictionary's newest edition, out online today, includes pre-teen shorthand OMG (oh my god/gosh/goodness!) LOL and the symbol for heart (<3). The OED's site explains that, in using these words:

“The intention is usually to signal an informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps parody the level of unreflective enthusiasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in online discourse, while at the same time marking oneself as an ‘insider’ au fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest technology.”

The OED isn't a stranger to shorthand (or "initialisms", as its press release puts it). BFF (best friends forever) and TMI (too much information) were inducted in previous editions.

Other new additions include "muffin top", which refers to the bit of flesh that pops over a tight pair of pants. I've never heard the phrase "cream-crackered" (exhausted), but that's there too. So is smack talk (boastful or insulting banter, dot-bomb (a failed Internet company) and couch surfing (sleeping on other people's couches). "Stonewash" is in there now too, only a couple decades too late.

My favourite new addition: la-la land (refers to Los Angeles or to the "state of being out of touch with reality). The OED's list of new words also contains a few surprises: seriously, "rude" and "rub-a-dub" weren't in there already? Rude.