Bringing two commercial planes back up to speed may seem aminormatter, and Boeing's spokesman says that for the company's purposes, the only concern is aircraft safety.
"The humour lies in applying a word which conveys strong emotion to a relatively minor or trivial matter, " says Denny Hilton, the OED's senior assistant editor.
Meanwhile, disappointed lawmakers in California are already plotting their next move a whole regulatory environment to govern the use of any substance deemed a threat to human beings, no matter how minor the risk.