YARN bombers have weaved their way into the Oxford English Dictionary.

The textile-based street art, in which knitters tie their work to railings or lampposts to brighten up their neighbourhood, has frequently appeared at surprising locations in recent years, including Cowley Road Carnival, around the Radcliffe Camera and even on fences over the A34 by Kidlington.

Now the phrase yarn bombing, or yarn storming, also known as guerrilla knitting, has been included in the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary released today.

Twerking, an eye-catching dance involving a person’s posterior, and the Twitterati – prolific tweeters – are also new entries.

Karen Draisey, who has run Oxford Yarn Store in North Parade Avenue for the past two years, said she was delighted that yarn bombing was now included.

Ms Draisey, who lives in Stanton St John, said: “Yarn bombing is colourful, fun and decorative and provides a contrast with the usual graffiti you see. It’s a very different medium to spray cans.

“Knitting no longer has an old-fashioned image. There’s a whole new generation coming through, including the yarn bombers.

“People often put up some yarn bombing on a lamppost or fence and then take it down later. It reflects the imaginative side of life.”

Senior editor at the OED, Fiona McPherson, said she had noticed yarn bombing on various lamp-posts around Oxford.

She added: “The trend has really taken off. It makes me smile every time I see it and it’s always pleasing to see a trend you notice yourself making it into dictionary.

“Guerrilla is now being used as a prefix for all kinds of activities, including knitting and gardening.

“It’s amazing how fast the language is changing and new media including Twitter is continuing to make a significant contribution.”

Ms McPherson said twerking had its roots in the 1990s New Orleans ‘bounce’ music scene but the noun dated back to the 1820s, when it was spelt ‘twirk’.

The dance, made famous by singer Miley Cyrus, was defined as moving “in a sexually provocative manner, using thrusting movements of the bottom and hips while in a low, squatting stance”.

More than 900 words have been revised and updated by staff at OED headquarters, the Oxford University Press building in Walton Street.

Residents in Bicester will be pleased to learn ecotown is a new dictionary entry, together with e-cigarette, and hot mess, a slang term for something or someone in extreme confusion or disorder.

Fratty, relating to a college fraternity, is also included, with fo’shizzle, a slang term from rap and hip-hop, meaning ‘for sure’.