Financial crisis hits 'Words of the Year'

Yes, the credit crunch has propelled popular business jargon like stagflation, ninja loans and even funt onto a list of 100 new terms and phrases compiled in the latest edition of the 'Words of the Year' book.

Stagflation is the economic term for stagnant growth and rising inflation, ninja loans comes from the abbreviation of No Income, No Job, No Assets and funt means the financially untouchable.

Other phrases such as jingle mail, which means sending back the keys to the mortgage company when the occupants can no longer make payments on their house, are also a sign of the times, according to Susie Dent who compiled the book.

However, the 'Words of the Year' book also includes phrases like nomophobia, the fear of being out of mobile phone contact; nonebrity, a person who enjoys status without anyone really understanding why; and social networking to describe using websites such as Facebook.