‘Gangnam style’ one of the year’s new words

A DICTIONARY publisher has named “Gangnam style”, “fiscal cliff” and “mummy porn” among its words of the year for 2012.

CollinsDictionary.com selected 12 words, one for each month, which played their part in defining the past year.

The final list – made after members of the public submitted their own suggestions – reflect the top news stories and trends of the year, with events such as the Olympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the US election all represented.

South Korean musician Psy’s catchy song Gangnam Style was chosen as the word for November, the month in which it became the most-watched video on YouTube with close to a billion views.

“Fiscal cliff” made it into the list for this month amid talk of the US government facing a sharp decrease in government spending and an increase in taxes that could throw the economy back into recession.

On a similar theme, earlier this year Europe was abuzz with the threat of “Eurogeddon” as the economic situation in the eurozone worsened. The word made it on to the list for March.

The following month, the Fifty Shades of Grey book series was published, bringing a new name for a certain type of erotic fiction – “mummy porn” – into the public consciousness.

The UK’s extraordinary summer of events is celebrated with two words on the 2012 list.

“Jubilympics” recalls the month of June, in which Britain was preparing to host the Olympics and celebrate the Diamond Jubilee while “Games makers”, London’s Olympics volunteers, make it on to the list for August.