Language: Sign of the times as "muffin top" becomes part of English Dictionary

Could Muffin Tops become Pride of Laredo?

The latest revision of the Oxford English Dictionary has just been completed and some of the new words which have been officially accepted into our language include: from the digital age, OMG and LOL which are abbreviations for Oh my God and Laughing out loud respectively. Another one that surprised me a bit is IMHO which means in my humble opinon. Then there is the already worn-out BFF, Best Friends forever.

However, not all of the new words  are abbreviations. As an indictment of fast-food living and it's accompanying spike in obesity, the term muffin top is now part of our dictionary as well. This most unflattering term is defined as  "a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers." Well, I am not proud to let you know that just during a short outing this morning, I was privy to witnessing quite a number of Laredoans sporting a prominent muffin top. The funny part is that most that I saw carry it as some badge of honor.  They're everywhere. To be honest, I don't know which is more pervasive, muffin tops or smart phones. Come to think of it, you usually see both of them on the same person. I don't think that bodes well for our over-digitized population.

On the positive side, some other phrases were not recognized despite their frequent use. The list of terms which are NOT yet in our dictionary include stalwarts such as : TOTB (think outside the box), ATEOTD,  (at the end of the day), MF (moving forward) and WTOCB (we're taking our country back).