2012 Words of the Year

Collins Dictionary (in the UK) publishes an annual list of "fad" words of the year.

"We were looking for words that told the story of the year," said Ian Brookes, the dictionary's consultant editor. "Some words are from events that have been and gone and so are not likely to stick around...but others are probably here to stay."

Twelve words of the year - one for each month - were selected on the basis of the frequency with which they were spoken, how many places they appeared and their longevity in public discourse. Appearing on the Collins words of the year list is no guarantee of insertion in the next dictionary.

So here are the Collins Dictionary's words of 2012.

broga  (yoga tailored to men)
Eurogeddon  (the economic situation in the Eurozone)
fiscal cliff
Games makers  (Olympics volunteers in London)
Gangnam Style
Jubilympics  (the overlapping British celebrations of the Olympics and the queen's Diamond Jubilee)
legbomb  (actress Angelina Jolie's pose at the Oscars)
mummy porn
Romneyshambles  (candidate Romney's visit to London)
superstorm
zuckered  (if you bought Mark Zuckerman's Facebook IPO and watched your share price plunge)
47 percent  (reference to Romney's fundraiser speech)