Some New Words for VOA's Word Book

Some big news today here at VOA Learning English. We are adding new words to our 1,500-word Word Book.

The first edition of the Word Book came out in 1962. Every now and then, we update it. Some words are added and some are taken away.

We only decided to add these words after careful thought. We think they will be useful as your English improves.

Here are the Word Book’s new words.

Dadgum

Running latte

Hangry

Have you ever used these words or heard them before?

In case you have not, here is what they are and how to use them.

Dadgum is a word used to express dissatisfaction or anger. For example, if you are hanging a picture on the wall and hit yourself with the hammer, you could yell: “dadgum it!”

Sometimes coffee drinkers are said to be running latte. A latte is a coffee drink made with hot milk. The delicious drink is spelled l-a-t-t-e. Sometimes, you might have to stop for one on your way to work. When the coffee stop delays your arrival you can say “I ran latte.”

Hangry is used to describe a person who is hungry and angry because of it. Hangry people are sometimes hard to be around until they get something to eat.

You will be hearing these words in our news and feature programs.

We urge you to use them also in your expanding English vocabulary.

Caty, wait, there’s a new expression to add to the word book.

What is it, Dan?

It’s APRIL FOOLS!

Ugh!

Today is April Fools’ Day. It is a day when people in many countries play fun tricks on each other. Some historians think the day goes back thousands of years to ancient Rome.

These words we just mentioned, they’re real. But they are informal. They are not yet in the Learning English Word Book. But you can find hangry in the Oxford Dictionaries’ website.

We hope you enjoyed our little joke. And that you have a great April Fools’ Day.

I’m Dan Friedell.

And I’m Caty Weaver.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

Did you play a prank or a joke on someone today? Tell us about it in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.