Definition: To perform or write (a play, scene, etc.) in a comic style or manner; to treat or dramatize in comic form. So said the Oxford English Dictionary, which included it in their latest list of new words they're adding to the next edition.

Sample usage: "Hey, Will, we love the 'Titus Andronicus' script, really, it's awesome. Just a few things. The studio thinks the last act is a little dark, with all the stabbings, and they thought you might add something like a jester, say, or maybe a bawdy ballad. I don't know. You're the artist. Comedize it up a little, OK?"

Popularity: We asked Rob Long, former "Cheers" writer and sitcom producer, if anyone has used the word in Hollywood. "No. Never. Ever. And now I'm terrified I'm going to hear it next week. Luckily, they don't read the dictionary here. We'd say punch it up. Lighten it up. Comedize — it's almost too articulate and specific for Hollywood, because it forces the person using the term to own what they're asking. Most notes you get from the studio are so vague they can deny them later. Comedize means exactly what you think it means, so no one would ever use it."

Chance of catching on: Low.

Heard a new word or phrase you want us to dissect? Let us know at word@startribune.com