It was the year that Politics gave us: BoJo, Discgate and Big Clunking Fist. (Read the Politics Lexicon here)

While the world of Celebrity gave rise to expressions like: Rexy, Stunt Eating, and No-Knicker Girls.(Read the Celebrity Lexicon here)

The fields of War and Security gave us memorable expressions such as: Surge, Spookocracy, and The Smeatonator. (Read the War & Security Lexicon here)

The growing concern about our Environment had us all talking about: Pay as you throw, Grey Fever and Climate Canaries. (Read the Environment Lexicon here)

The glittering world of Finance offered us some interesting new linguistic tools: Subprime, Ninja loans and of course Northern Wreck (Read the Money Lexicon here)

Society at large brought to the table: Superfoods, Tombstoning and Screwface. (Read the Society Lexicon here)

The ever more complex world of Technology demanded that we learn expressions like: Newpeat, Noddys, and Exergaming. (Read the Technology Lexicon here)

And finally there's a Miscellaneous section for words that have arrived in English under their own steam. Words like Ghost Flights, Arguido and Shambo. (Read the Miscellaneous Lexicon here)

Read the entire lexicon as a pdf here (requires Acrobat reader)

Extracted and adapted from Schott’s Almanac 2008: conceived, written & designed by Ben Schott published by Bloomsbury on December 1. RRP £16.99, available from Times BooksFirst for £15.29, free p&p. 0870 1608080

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