Few words from reality television have leaked their way into the American lexicon with more sass and seduction than “smize.” The term, made popular by mogul-slash-glamazon Tyra Banks on America’s Next Top Model, is a portmanteau of the words “smile” and “eyes” and no, we’re not sure how the “z” got in there, either.
Wednesday night, Dictionary.com’s Twitter informed the world that “smize” is the most searched term without a dictionary entry.
Tyra responded with the question on everyone’s minds why isn’t it?
So…um…(she clears throat)…why oh why is SMIZE not being asked to the dictionary party? https://t.co/bEYegGHJW4
— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) October 19, 2017
In the age of Instagram and Snapchat, everyone knows what a smize is and how to use it. Not to get all geeky about it, but with my flag planted firmly in the descriptivist field of sociolinguistics, the dictionary should reflect words that people use. And I use “smize” more daily than most words in the dictionary (you listening, antidisestablishmentarianism?)
How about we take this to the next level?
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A dictionary without smize? That’s some dreckitude.
