Chuddies, bigsie, sitooterie: Oxford English Dictionary adds 650 new words and phrases
The Indian word for underpants became popular in the mid-1990s in the UK when it was used in the British-Asian comedy series ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ on BBC.
The Oxford English Dictionary has incorporated 650 new words and phrases, including chuddies, the Indian word for underpants, in its March update.
The word became popular in the mid-1990s when it was used in the British-Asian comedy series ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ on BBC. “Our coverage of British Indian usage gets an update with the addition of the dismissive kiss my chuddies [underpants], popularised as a catchphrase by actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar,” Jonathan Dent, senior assistant editor at OED, told the Hindustan Times.
OED describes chuddies as short trousers, underwear or underpants. It says the word was first used in the Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine in 1858.
The March update includes words and phrases that expand the dictionary’s coverage of regional vocabulary. It has incorporated several Scots terms. These include “bidie-in”, which is defined as a person who lives with his or her partner in a non-marital relationship, “bigsie” – having an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance – and “sitooterie”, meaning an alcove or a secluded area within a building where people can sit.
“This quarter’s update includes some new entries and senses which we’ve drafted in response to our recent appeals: the #wordswhereyouare request for regional vocabulary, and the #hobbywords appeal for words associated with particular pastimes,” said Dent, according to The Guardian.