‘Masshole’ added to Oxford English Dictionary
Masshole has officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary, though it’s been in the lexicon of the Bay State’s neighbors for years.
Masshole joins hot mess, twerk, fo’shizzle, sext, stanky, twitterati, meh, and nearly 500 other words added Wednesday.
From Masshole’s now-official dictionary entry:
Masshole, n.
A term of contempt for: a native or inhabitant of the state of Massachusetts.
Language: U.S. coarse slang.
Etymology: Blend of the name of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and asshole
The OED dates the word back to 1989 and provides example sentences including:
1989 M. Ridley Warts & All iii. 70 “The New Hampshire people have a nickname for the refugees from Massachusetts: Massholes.’’
1996 Boston Globe (Electronic ed.) 22 July c5 “They have plenty of company in a state full of so many ‘misunderstood’ drivers that out-of-towners unaffectionately call them ‘Massholes’.’’
So congrats Massachusetts, your reputation has now been etched in linguistic stone.
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