Countdown Today

[elliemay1]

The word, 'overworn' was disallowed today. Which dictionary do they use?

[dannyk13]

http://wiki.apterous.org/Oxford_Dictionary_of_English

[MargoTester]

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/spellcheck/english/?q=Overworn

[elliemay1]

Thank you both. It's in the Chambers dictionary

[Mamyalynne]

Just to confirm what's been said above.

http://www.thecountdownpage.com/dictionaries.htm

[Buenchico]

Interestingly though, the full OED recognises 'overworn' both as the past particple of 'overwear'
https://ibb.co/mX2kj0d
and as an adjective in its own right
https://ibb.co/x8qkK93

[jno]

I don't think I've ever heard it used in Britain. Outworn, or overused maybe, but not overworn.

[THECORBYLOON]

That countdown page.com site is about nine years old so there might be a more recent edition of the dictionary in use now.

[Mamyalynne]

True.

[THECORBYLOON]

"13 June 2014

Channel 4’s Daytime favourite, Countdown, is changing with the times. 

Over thirty years since the launch of the long running series, Countdown is replacing the traditional print version of the Oxford Dictionary of English with Oxford Dictionaries Online. 

The change will mean that the programme’s ‘Dictionary Corner’, fronted by Susie Dent, will now be using oxforddictionaries.com to search for words as the contestants try to beat the famous Countdown clock." 

[Mamyalynne]

Yes, that's in Danny's link too.

My back up was mainly to show they have always favoured Oxford as opposed to Chambers for example.

[THECORBYLOON]

"From the beginning of Series 71, the validity of words is now determined using the Premium version of Oxford Dictionaries Online (ODO). The paper dictionaries in Dictionary Corner have been replaced with a laptop. A free version of ODO (now called Lexico) is used by the show's director, who can overrule a valid word which otherwise does not appear in premium, as a back-up source. The overruling is cut from final broadcast."

Why then, do they not just use the same version as the Director?

[Buenchico]

oxforddictionaries.com now redirects to languages.oup.com, which is the Oxford Languages site. That, in turn, offers the full OED as its main dictionary, which does include 'overworn':
https://languages.oup.com/dictionaries/

Confusing, isn't it?

;-)

[Old_Geezer]

Not a word I've heard of. Not an Americanism is it ? They like to claim that they speak English.

[Neveracrossword]

OG, not an Americanism.

[Peter Pedant]

amazed and shocked
english dictionaries are avowedly non prescriptive
( not - - do this! dont do that!)
and so 'wrong' words: "uninterested" does NOT mean "disinterested" ARE listed as meanings - because they are used, even tho in the wrong sense

temerity listed as timidity - and other horrors

[jno]

confusing reticence and reluctance is common. Also prevaricate and procrastinate, which could be libellous if misused.