“Twerk” Added to Oxford English Dictionary, We Don’t Like Their Definition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “twerk” as a verb meaning to “dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.” Geekosystem defines the inclusion of “twerk” in the OED as a stupid waste of time, but if you’re going to do it, do it right. Let’s fix that definition.

Not to be too much of a pedant here, but I don’t think the definition is an apt one. The stipulation that one can only twerk to popular music seems unnecessary. Twerking is the action of rapidly shaking your butt up and down real fast. I could Twerk to Harvey Danger B-Sides if I wanted to, (I do not) and those are sadly not popular.

Whether someone twerking is “sexually provocative” or not is in the eye of the beholder, but as someone who has yet to see anyone shaking their butt up and down real fast and thought, “Now that’s provocative!” it too seems unnecessary to include in the official definition.

Is the squatting stance necessary for shaking your butt up and down real fast to count as twerking? Sure, it seems like it would help, but that’s more about technique than something that actually defines the act of twerking, and ermagherd I can’t even believe we’re having this discussion.

If you’re going to include “twerk” in the Oxford English Dictionary, at least get the definition right.

twerk, v.: to shake one’s butt up and down real fast.

Also, please add “ermagherd” to your dictionary.

(via Quartz, image via TimmyGUNZ)

Meanwhile in related links

• Miley Cyrus twerks on the important news story of the day
• “Literally” officially means the opposite of “Literally”
• Discovery Channel doesn’t seem to understand the definition of “documentary”