Final Results
For the second series of BBC TWO's Balderdash & Piffle, the Oxford English Dictionary asked for public assistance to help them trace the history of 40 well-known words and phrases. From 'identity theft' to 'pole dance', Balderdash & Piffle's wordhunters stopped at nothing to do their bit for the English language. Thanks to an outstanding response from the public, viewers of the television series will have seen Victoria Coren persuade the OED's editors to rewrite the entries for 27 of the 40 words on the Wordhunt list.
But it didn't stop there. After each programme dedicated wordhunters continued to send in more evidence on the words that stumped us the first time around. It might have been too late to feature these finds in the series, but it was not too late to contribute to the dictionary. Could we have the last word on 'plonker', 'hoodies' and 'mad as a brush'? Had we finally cracked the mystery of 'the loo'? The OED have now passed their verdicts on this new evidence - six new entries can now have their dictionary entries updated and in addition we managed to better the antedates for seven more of our words. A resounding success - and you can read more about this new evidence by clicking the link below.
One Sandwich Short of a Picnic
The OED thought Balderdash & Piffle were just the people to help out with words relating to madness. And they were right - wordhunters triumphed with all five words and phrases for which the OED needed help.
Man's Best Friend
Dog has one of the longest entries in the dictionary - thanks to more than 250 different doggy phrases. The OED asked for our help with five of these, and we're wagging our tails to have succeeded with four of them.
Euphemisms - the Lace Curtain of Language
The OED asked us to investigate how we prefer to call a spade a shovelling implement, especially when talking about sex, death or going to the toilet. They challenged us to help with five euphemisms and we managed four.
Dodgy Dealings
From prison slang to gangster speak, the dodgy language of the underworld is colourful and inventive. The OED requested help with six dodgy terms and the Wordhunt nailed five of these.
X-Rated
Some of the most thumbed entries in the OED are those containing the naughty words. The Wordhunt tied up four out of the five word mysteries on the list, and - as an off-shoot of the Wordhunt - a word not on the list, 'dogger', was given a new sense.
Put Downs and Insults
The OED politely asked us to assist them with five put downs and insults. We sparked changes with evidence for three words on the list.
Who Were They?
The Wordhunt looked into four eponyms - expressions which immortalize people in our language - and succeeded on pinning down two. In need of a pick-me-up? We also found the creator of the 'Bloody Mary'.
Fashionistas
The language of fashion is as changeable as the industry it serves. The OED needed your help with five fashion-related words and phrases, and in true style, the Wordhunt rose to the challenge and succeeded on every one. You heard it here first - Wordhunting is the new black!
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