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With the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary declaring "selfie" the word of the year on Tuesday, the Pioneer Press decided to give folks on the streets of downtown St. Paul a chance to take a self-portrait with a smartphone.

Some people were immediately game, a few reluctant and a couple taken aback when asked if they knew what a selfie was.

Sammy Echols of Minneapolis said he'd never heard of or taken a selfie in his life.

"I don't get into this stuff all the time. Usually if someone asked me to do this, I'd run the other way and think they're crazy," he said.

For Edward Neumann, decorum was the main concern.

"If it's proper, I don't see any problem with it," he said.

Lydia Bellanger of the White Earth Indian Reservation had heard the word before but had never taken one.

"How's this work?" she asked, smiling.

Trayvon Smaller of St. Paul has taken selfies in the past but was not a big fan.

"It's kind of like saying you're too cocky, confident. You're showing off a little bit," he said. "It's kind of annoying when people take, like, six selfies and put them in a collage."

More:
Word of the Year: St. Paulites celebrate 'selfie' by taking one