2010 Words in the New Oxford American Dictionary

There are so many dictionaries, it seems like any combination of letters could call itself a word, find an agent, and be accepted into one. Not a month ago the Oxford English Dictionary added 39 words to its centuries-old collection, and this week the New Oxford American Dictionary released its 2010 words.

Standards seem lower, but not much, for American dictionaries. There were a few crossovers between Oxford English and New Oxford American — bromance, social media, staycation, and vuvuzela — but also surprises all of America's own. They sound more like the Urban Dictionary than words befitting a respected dictionary with such a fine, glossy cover and Windows 95-looking graphics, yet here they are.

• BFF: a girl's best friend
• Gal pal: a female friend
• Hockey mom: a mother who devotes a great deal of time and effort to supporting her children's participation in ice hockey
• Hater: a person who greatly dislikes a specified person or thing
• Lipstick lesbian: a lesbian who favors a glamorous, traditionally feminine style
• Tramp stamp: a tattoo on a woman's lower back
• Unfriend: to remove from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking site
• TTYL: talk to you later