The sad fact is that our dictionaries are not, nor were they ever actually intended to be used as the deciding sources for definitions and pronunciations. They are unfortunately designed to show current usage, citing previous usage only for historical reference.

An example of this is that many of the American English dictionaries released this year show that in current usage, "infer" is, indeed, used interchangeably with "imply". No matter how much it might tighten your jaws to read this, the horrible truth is that what was formerly regarded as uncommon usage (or by some, "misusage",) is now considered to be a part of the language as it is commonly used. There are many other examples that would bring most of my English teachers to tears.

English, as well as any other language, is in a constant state of flux. New words and new usages are created every moment. Some of them are adopted and others fall by the wayside. Old words and usages are often discarded or altered as well.

Here's an example of a now commonly used word that probably didn't exist before 1964: GRODIE. It's first documented usage was by none other than Ringo Starr in the movie, "Hard Day's Night". (I personally believe that he said, "grotie", though, [with a T] as a contraction of "grotesque". Lazy tongues changed it to a D.) The day he said it, it was largely, if not entirely unknown in the world. Some dictionaries list it now without necessarily indicating it to be a slang word.

The unfortunate plight of the dictionary is that it is not actually the place for finding "wrong" or "right" definitions, spellings and usage. By its very nature, it can never be more than merely a guideline to what was currently and predominantly in use as the volume went to print.

If you think about this long enough, it will give you a headache. If you really understand it, you can have a lot of fun at your next game of Scrabble. The whole concept is truly a kerflunction. *G*