Meaning of Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary | Babel Free

Definitions

A fictional supremely authoritative dictionary, supposed to be referenced by laypeople in discussions of "the dictionary".

humorous

Examples

“The dictionary most cited in such cases is the UAD: the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary, usually referred to as 'the dictionary,' but very occasionally as 'my dictionary.'”

“The individual lexicographer has ceded power to the team, the computerised corpus has come to stand side by side with, if not actually to replace, the readers of earlier research, but what has been termed the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' is still the court of last resort.”

“This war ended with the death of both men and their replacement by Johnson as authors of the "Unidentified Authorising Dictionary".”

“Have you hear^([sic]) of the Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary?”

“The reference here, certainly, is to a generic compilation, not to any specific collection. This is the 'Unidentified Authorizing Dictionary' identified by Rosamund Moon, and the purpose for which it might be consulted is decidedly utilitarian.”

CEFR level