Law in Popular Culture

Is 'Benchslap' Worthy of Black's Law Dictionary? Editor Tweets Question

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The next edition of Black’s Law Dictionary could include the word “benchslap” if editor Bryan Garner can be persuaded.

Garner raised the issue in a tweet, Above the Law reports. “How old is ‘bench slap’?” Garner wrote. “Should I put it in Black’s Law Dictionary? How would you define it?”

Blogger David Lat says he was credited with origination of the term—which should be one word, not two—when he wrote for the blog Underneath Their Robes.

Garner may be considering other newly coined terms. “What other ATL neologisms might be good candidates for Black’s because they’re in frequent use?” he tweeted.

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