"dwarf"and "elf" are out, "dyslexic" and "database" are in

A friend of mine wrote me that in the new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary (for kids), in order to make room for new-fangled words like "celebrity," "tolerant," "vandalism," and "negotiate," certain nature words that define many kinds of plants and animals had to be taken out. 

Dwarf and elf got the ax, too! What does that say for the next generation of fantasy freaks?

Words out: golblin, beech, blackberry, blacksmith, bloom, bluebell, canary, chestnut, cowslip, fungus, gooseberry, ivy, lavender, leek, minnow, mint, nectar, spinach, sycamore, tulip, turnip, vine, violet, walnut, willow. and also:  altar, bishop, chapel, christen. hmm....

Words in: Blog, broadband, MP3 player, voicemail, attachment, database, export, chatroom, bullet point, cut and paste, analogue, allergic, biodegradable, emotion, dyslexic, donate.....

The ultimate irony? One of the new words added is "endangered."

--- Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks