THEY say nice guys finish last, and that's certainly true of this colourful little chappy.

This week he became the last word in the English language – literally: Oxford English Dictionary has now made the Zyzzyva weevil its final entry beginning with Z.

The South American beetle stole the title from zythum, an ancient Egyptian malt beer.

Speaking of stealing titles, the terms 'tennis mom' and 'tennis dad' – used to describe parents who encourage their children to play the sport – have also been added to the book's 829,000 words.

And if you are now saying to yourself in disbelief 'how can that be a thing?', that's now officially allowed, as the word 'thing' has gained a new meaning, in the sense of expressing disbelief at a state of affairs.

Hygge, a Danish term described as 'a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being' was also added to the dictionary produced by Oxford University Press in Walton Street in Jericho.