Oxford Dictionaries said Thursday that the word "Modilie", used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's critics to take a swipe at him, is "fake" and does not exist in any of its dictionaries.
The assertion from one of the world's most recognised English language dictionaries through its verified Twitter account came a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi used the term to take a dig at Modi.
"We can confirm that the image showing the entry 'Modilie' is fake and does not exist in any of our Oxford Dictionaries," it said.
On Thursday also, Gandhi targeted the prime minister, claiming even a website now "catalogues the best 'Modilies'".
He had Wednesday tweeted a screen shot of what appeared to be an online dictionary, saying, "There's a new word in the English Dictionary. Attached is a snapshot of the entry."
The layout of the image appeared similar to Oxford Dictionaries' website.
The BJP used the tweet of Oxford Dictionaries to take a dig at is rival.
"Slapped," tweeted BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya.
Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that "Modilies" is a new word that has become popular worldwide. "Now there's even a website that catalogues the best Modilies!" the Congress president said on twitter, along with a link to the website "Modi Lies: The Most Accurate List of PM Modi's Many Lies," he said.
On Wednesday, he had lampooned the prime minister saying "Modilie" is a new word in dictionary and had tweeted a screenshot of a photoshopped page of an English dictionary explaining the meaning of the word.
Gandhi has been accusing Modi of speaking "lies" on various issues, including on the Rafale jet deal.
In the fabricated page tweeted on Wednesday, "Modilie" was described as a "mass noun". It listed three meanings and examples of the usage of the word.
Anantkumar calls Rahul 'moron'
Union minister Anantkumar Hegde Friday stoked a controversy by calling Congress President Rahul Gandhi a moron for his tweet that 'Modilies' is a new word in the English dictionary.
Further, amid reports of his controversial remarks on Twitter about Nathuram Godse, Hegde claimed his account was "hacked".
He, however, said there was no question of justifying Mahatma Gandhi's killing.
In a tweet, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said, "This moron @RahulGandhi is hell bent on proving himself that he is one of his own kind of international idiotic skill master and hence the horizons have extended beyond the boundaries. No one can prevent his growth...Amazing...!!!!"
