Appeals list

Words or phrases which appear on the Appeals List are those currently being drafted or revised for the Oxford English Dictionary for which the documentary evidence is incomplete. Often these are slang or colloquial items which cannot be researched in specialist texts and are most likely to be turned up by a general reader in popular or non-specialized literature. Usually the appeal is for an earlier example than our current earliest (e.g. 'antedate 1970' for a word for which our earliest example is 1970), but sometimes the appeal is for an interdating where there is a large gap in the OED's quotation paragraph (e.g. 'interdate 1589-1910').

Occasionally we ask for a postdating (e.g. 'postdate 1875'), if an editor feels that an item being revised is still current but has failed to find any recent examples through the usual avenues of research. Words or phrases on the Appeals List with multiple senses are followed by a short definition specifying the sense sought.

If you can help with any of these appeals, please send information to oed3@oup.co.uk.

artily adv.:

antedate 1961

fanny about or around:

antedate 1971

to have been (to have been to the toilet, e.g. 'Have you been?'; 'Go to the toilet!' 'I've been'.):

any evidence

Bellini (peach & champagne cocktail):

antedate 1965

bike v. trans. (to deliver, or arrange for delivery, by (motor)cycle courier):

antedate 1990

bookable a. (Football: e.g. 'bookable offence'):

antedate 1982

chuffing a. (e.g. a 'chuffing train'):

antedate 1920

chuffing n. (e.g. 'the chuffing of the train'):

antedate 1984

D'oh!, Doh! (Expression of frustration used when a person has done something stupid; popularized by Homer Simpson):

antedate 1993

to take bad (to become ill; in active construction, not 'to be taken bad'):

any evidence

trailer trash (US derog. & offensive):

antedate 1984