OMLG

When Spexis suggested that I should produce a definition of OMLG, the acronym for Oh My Lady Gaga, I thought it was a joke. But, no, Oh My Lady Gaga is about to overtake the age-old "Oh My God" in the United States. It’s an acronym used more and more in television shows like "Ugly Betty", but it was the famous DJ Scott Mills who has finally – or maybe only temporarily – turned OMLG into "the" acronym everyone’s using. It has proved most successful in China, where young internet users are going — well, gaga over it. Teachers in the schools are up in arms against this acronym, which pupils are using all over the place, including to comment on their classes. So what does it actually mean, Oh My Lady Gaga? It’s an acronym you use to show surprise and amusement. On the internet, you can’t hear a smile, so if you want to let someone know that their post had you in fits of laughter you can use a smiley or even good old "LOL", but that’s getting a bit outdated. If you want to show how cool you are, go for "OMLG", which gets the message across that you are shocked by what you’ve just read but that at the same time it makes you laugh. There is some controversy about the origins of the acronym. To some, the Lady Gaga fans, OMLG is a form of homage to the pop star, who has taken the place of God in the hearts of the young. To others, OMLG in fact means "Oh my lack of God", as they cannot bear any reference to God (OK, by using this acronym they are taking God as a sort of benchmark, so it isn’t really clear where they are coming from). Still others use OMLG to make a gentle dig at their peers, as in: Oh my, like, gosh! What’s most surprising is the tidal wave of OMLG sweeping China. Does it really mean that the whole of China’s youth is crazy about Lady Gaga? The Americans would like to think so. According to Ying Zhang, a young Chinese internet user, the real explanation lies elsewhere. The word "lady", in Chinese characters, suggests an “unusual” situation while the word "Gaga" has connotations of "pleasure". Which means you have a two-in-one acronym, expressing both surprise and amusement.