Oxford English Dictionary News

Balderdash & Piffle

Following the huge success of the original series of Balderdash & Piffle, the Oxford English Dictionary (www.oed.com) has once again partnered with the BBC to make a new eight-part series of the popular show, which starts at 10pm, Friday 11 May 2007, on BBC Two.

Balderdash & Piffle reveals the hidden histories behind words, and is recruiting the nation to use its sleuthing skills to try to solve these and many more intriguing mysteries in the English language, in collaboration with the OED:

• Who was Gordon Bennett?
• Why do we go bananas?
• Who was the inspiration behind the Bloody Mary cocktail?
• Can the intriguing mystery of wazzock be resolved?

Get details of the new series, and the words we want to know more about.

"Although the Oxford English Dictionary has appealed for help from the public many times over the past 150 years I wasn't sure how much new material would come from the broadcast appeal for the first series of Balderdash & Piffle," comments John Simpson, Chief Editor of the OED. "But I needn't have worried: two-thirds of the 50 Wordhunt words were predated or otherwise improved as a result of the appeal, and the relevant OED entries have been updated accordingly.

I can't at this point reveal the successes of the new appeal - you'll have to watch the second series of Balderdash for that. But the new information we have received, and the opportunity the series gave us to explain some of the finer points of the dictionary's workings onscreen, have yet again improved the dictionary's coverage of English and do, I hope, demonstrate some of the excitement of compiling the English language's dictionary of record."

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Many libraries also offer 'remote access', which means that you can access the whole of the OED Online from home or the office, simply using your library card number.

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