Thierry va-vooms into OED

Not content with being the best footballer in the country, French star Thierry Henry has helped to shape the English language.

Va-va-voom - the Arsenal striker's catchphrase in TV adverts for car firm Renault - has made it into the latest version of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The book defines va-va-voom as: 'The quality of being exciting, vigorous or sexually attractive.'

Judy Pearsall, from the Oxford University Press, said: 'We have evidence of it dating back to the 1950s from the US, as imitating the noise of an engine. But it is Thierry Henry's use of the term in the TV adverts which has earned it a place in the dictionary. We have seen it used more widely as a result.'

Va-va-voom is one of a long list of new words to make it into the 11th edition of the book.

The Iraq conflict has led to the inclusion of 'bioweapon' and 'blue-on-blue' - the latter referring to a socalled friendly fire incident. Other new words in the dictionary's 11th edition include:

Speed dating: Organised activity in which people have a series of short conversations with potential partners in order to determine mutual interest.

Flash mob: Apublic gathering of strangers who perform a pointless act and then disperse again.

Designer baby: A baby whose genetic make-up has been selected to eradicate a particular defect.

Cybercrime: Criminal activities carried out by computer.