2009 is drawing to a close, and dictionaries and language-related websites are coming up with their Words of the Year. Not wishing to be left out, I thought I would compile my own 'Top Ten' of words that have featured prominently in The English Blog over the past twelve months. In number one position is fat cat, a term which has appeared in cartoons and articles with almost depressing regularity, and which seems to sum up the financial crisis and its aftermath better than any other.
Here are the remaining nine in no particular order. Click on the links to go to a post where the word is explained.
• Cloud computing (the next big thing?)
• Bossnapping (a French invention)
• Bonus culture (the City will miss it)
• Expenses (MPs claimed them)
• Paywall (bad news for news freaks)
• Pandemic (worse than an epidemic)
• Quantitative easing (loadsamoney)
• Anthropogenic (as in climate change)
• Recovery (will it ever happen?)
