'Season creep', 'BBQ stopper' appear in dictionary pages

"Hoodies", "season creep" and "barbecue stopper" are among hundreds of new words and phrases included in an updated version of an English dictionary.

The new words are intended to provide a reflection of the changing world.

They are included in the latest edition of the Collins English Dictionary.

Some of them are specific to Britain.

"Hoodies" are young people who wear hooded sweatshirts and hang around street corners and shopping malls.

A "Croydon facelift" refers to the tightening effect on the skin of a woman's face caused by securing the hair at the back of the head in a tight ponytail.

Many other words and phrases will be recognisable to English speakers everywhere.

"Season creep" refers to the gradual changing in the length of the seasons, as shown by the earlier flowering of plants and the migration of animals.

A "barbecue stopper" is a controversial current affairs issue, or a social gaffe.

- ABC/Reuters