“Throw Shade” Added To Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The 186-year-old reference also added "microaggression," "safe space," "ghosting," "NSFW," and more
From: NewNowNext

 Need more proof drag is in the mainstream: Merriam-Webster, the venerated American dictionary used by millions of schoolchildren nationwide, added “throwing shade,” one of nearly 1,000 updates this month.

The term, first used in ball culture, is defined as “to express contempt or disrespect for someone publicly especially by subtle or indirect insults or criticisms.”

The context sentence—”Christopher Oram’s elegant set is a pillared palazzo; at cafe tables wasp-waisted women sip tiny cups of espresso and throw shade at their rivals from behind dark glasses”—is taken from a review of Romeo and Juliet.

Other new additions include “binge-watch,” “photobomb,” “Seussian,” “face-palm,” and “prosopagnosia,” a rare neurological condition also known as “face blindness.”

“Ghost,” or the act of abruptly ending contact with someone you been communicating with online, was also added, as was “NSFW.”

“In some cases, terms have been observed for years and are finally being added; in others, the fast rise and broad acceptance of a term has made for a quicker journey,” the company said in a statement.

Merriam-Webster has slowly but surely been updated to include language relevant to the LGBT community: Last April, the dictionary added “cisgender” and “genderqueer.”

Below, view a sampling of the new words.

elderflower

first world problem

FLOTUS

ginger

microaggression

mumblecore

ping

safe space

SCOTUS

side-eye

train wreck

truther

weak sauce

woo-woo