First used words

Dictionary guru and all-round lovely lady Miriam Webster (yes yes, I’m joking) has a very cool time-traveler feature whereby you can find a number of words that first appeared in any given year. I had a look at my birth year (because why would you look anywhere else?) and here are a few examples from that amazing 12 month period.

They range from the technical like: “ACE inhibitor”, “bunyavirus”, “cDNA”, “neuropeptide” and “somatostatin”.

To the interesting: “Watergate”, “affluenza”, “global positioning system”, “pro-choice”, “duct tape”, “automated teller machine”, “magstripe” and “LCD”.

Via the outright bizarre: “Antarctic Toothfish”, “dinger”, “sea monkey”, “quango” and “Joe Six-Pack”.

And the inevitable childishly amusing underwear, sex and general innuendo stuff: “autoerotic asphyxiation”, “radical cleavage”, “bralette”, “underwire” “nonorgasmic” and “deep throat” (which obviously has more to do with the above Watergate than… ag… never mind).

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