Bob
26th February 2013, 00:48
The Oxford English Dictionary has dropped it’s definition of bikers as being "long-haired in dirty denims", following protests that it was outdated.
Oxford University Press removed the definition from the online version of the dictionary. The new definition references a biker as being "A motorcyclist, especially one who is a member of a gang or group”, followed bizarrely by “A biker was involved in a collision with a car."
The above is still inaccurate, as a survey by Bennetts shows that 65% of motorcyclists ride alone. The study also showed that a ‘biker’ is most likely to be over 35 and work in IT or telecoms.
Oxford University Press spokeswoman Nicola Burton said "This change has been made to reflect a minor shift in contemporary use of the word 'biker'. Our research suggests 'biker' is now more closely aligned with 'motorcyclist' than words such as 'hell's angel'.
“We also updated the usage example, which is intended to provide an illustration of how the word could be used in a sentence.”
Oxford University Press removed the definition from the online version of the dictionary. The new definition references a biker as being "A motorcyclist, especially one who is a member of a gang or group”, followed bizarrely by “A biker was involved in a collision with a car."
The above is still inaccurate, as a survey by Bennetts shows that 65% of motorcyclists ride alone. The study also showed that a ‘biker’ is most likely to be over 35 and work in IT or telecoms.
Oxford University Press spokeswoman Nicola Burton said "This change has been made to reflect a minor shift in contemporary use of the word 'biker'. Our research suggests 'biker' is now more closely aligned with 'motorcyclist' than words such as 'hell's angel'.
“We also updated the usage example, which is intended to provide an illustration of how the word could be used in a sentence.”