2006: a year in words

Brass monkeys: perishing primates were all the rage

Politicians are never short of a word or two and 2006 was no different. BBC political reporter Justin Parkinson picks out some of those which entered the political lexicon over the past 12 months.

Arctic Monkeys - No, it's not another indicator of global warming gone mad. Every middle-aged politician from Gordon Brown to David Cameron - including even Sir Menzies Campbell - offered an opinion on the chart-topping band from Sheffield. Did Attlee and Churchill swap views about Vera Lynn, one wonders?

Arthur - What made Mr Cameron choose this name for his third child, born in April? The great Wessex king of legend? Wartime Liverpudlian "cheeky chappy" Arthur Askey - in an effort to gather some elderly votes in the Tory wastelands of northern England? Or was it simply an olive branch to the unhappy Thatcherites Mr Cameron was alienating by moving the party ever more centre-wards? After all, who would be better at reminding them of the 1980s glory days than dodgy car dealer Arthur Daley?

Who inspired Cameron: HRH, Askey or Daley?

Baby Asbo - Not a more contemporary name already selected for the next of the Cameron brood, but a barb thrown at Tony Blair by those who think he wants the state to intervene too much in child-rearing. The prime minister retaliated by insisting that he wanted to give families a helping hand, "instead of waiting until the child goes off the rails".

Carbon footprint - Mankind, we were told this year increasingly often, is guilty of the environmental equivalent of stomping across the planet in a pair of size 12 hobnail boots. Indeed, by the end of the year it seemed no politician could launch a policy on anything, even if it was airport expansion, without giving it a green sales pitch

Chameleon (Dave the) - Labour thought it had the measure of David Cameron when it portrayed him in a series of films as a chameleon, changing his political colour to suit all audiences. But little Dave was no Godzilla and soon won the hearts of the animal-loving public. Even Mr Cameron's kids became fans.

Chauffeur - Former Tory Cabinet minister Norman Tebbit once told of how his dad had got "on his bike" to find work during the Great Depression. Current party leader David Cameron made great play of his own "two-wheels-good, four-wheels-bad" philosophy, by turning up for work by pedal power. But he was as red-faced as a chameleon claiming to be the heir to Tony Benn when it was discovered his shoes and briefcase were being taken to Westminster by chauffeur-driven car.

Cheeky - Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik hit the headlines when he announced he had split up with weather presenter fiancee Sian Lloyd and was dating Romanian pop singer Gabriela Irimia, one half of The Cheeky Girls. Mr Opik himself released a Christmas single in 2002 called Hank MacGregor's Weekend Rock and Roll Bank. Perhaps a musical collaboration awaits - in Romania, one hopes.

True blue: Dave the Chameleon cycled into the nation's hearts

Croquet - As Nero reputedly played his violin while Rome burned, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was photographed playing croquet at his grace-and-favour home while running the country during Tony Blair's holiday.

Fist (big, clunking) - Mr Blair used an image more redolent of Mr Prescott's fisticuffs during the 2001 election to describe what Mr Cameron could expect from his eventual successor. The prime minister told baying Labour backbenchers that a "heavyweight" - later confirmed by Labour's chairman to be Gordon Brown - would "floor" Mr Cameron with a "big clunking fist". And to think, Mr Cameron promised an end to "Punch and Judy politics" when he became Tory leader last year.

Fit for purpose - John Reid started it when he used the phrase during a committee hearing into the Home Office. Perhaps it was the positive press reaction, but soon everything - from the Child Support Agency to the coaches of England's major sports teams - were not "fit for purpose".

Hoodie (Hug a) - While most of us fear these moody, behooded teenagers (according to research), Mr Cameron was accused of wanting to "hug" them, following a speech on social policy.

Kazakhstan - Sacha Baron Cohen's film Borat, with its depiction of Kazakhstan as a racist, sexist, backward country, raised more than a few eyebrows in the former Soviet republic. The country's president, visiting Downing Street, laughed it off and invited journalists to come and see for themselves.

George Galloway lapped up the adulation on Celebrity Big Brother

Meow - Respect MP George Galloway showed himself game for a giggle by taking part in Celebrity Big Brother. For one task, he pretended to be a cat licking cream from an imaginary saucer placed on the lap of actress Rula Lenska. He also gets an honourable mention for bringing the word plutocrat to a wider telly audience.

Metrosexual - "A heterosexual male who has a strong aesthetic sense and inordinate interest in appearance and style," according to dictionary.com. We have Tory chairman Francis Maude to thank for introducing the word into the political lexicon when he reassured Tory activists that the party will not be imposing "mincing metrosexuals on gritty northern seats". No stereotypes there, then.

Petitions (e-petitions) - Tony Blair invited the public to "e-petition" him on any subject they liked. While concerns such as hunting rights, nuclear and the environment were strongly represented, some lighter topics got onto the Downing Street website. One asked for Spandau Ballet's song Gold to become the national anthem.

Pies - Shadow education minister Boris Johnson voiced his support for the mothers in Doncaster who passed pies through the school gates in a bid to undermine Jamie Oliver-inspired dietary guidelines. But after he was besieged by reporters at the Conservative conference, the distinctly upper-crust Mr Johnson declared the TV chef a "national saint" for his efforts to improve the health of the young.

Resile - Eh? Every now and then a posh word, meaningless to the non-Westminster masses, comes into wider use. This little beauty - meaning "to draw back from" - was the little-noticed cliché of the year. Most often used by Tony Blair.

Speaker - David Cameron nearly got into trouble when Speaker Michael Martin made him withdraw a question to Tony Blair about who should succeed him. It was a "Labour", and not a government issue, he ruled. So, after a kerfuffle, Mr Cameron asked Mr Blair who he would like to see "as the next prime minister of the country". The Speaker ruled this question "in order". So there.

Tosser - Did parliamentary language reach a new low when Mr Prescott used this word to describe the Tory front bench? If it did, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition can have no qualms, after it launched an online campaign attacking the "inner tosser" which gets people into debt.

Toynbee - Cameron adviser Greg Clark dared to cross the iron curtain when he suggested Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee - a darling of the muesli-munching chattering classes - might have more ideas to offer the Tories on social policy than Sir Winston Churchill. It all proved too much for ex-leader William Hague's former aide Toby Horton, who, after years of blood, toil, tears and sweat, defected to UKIP.

Webcameron - Forget Hugh Grant and his friends - Mr Cameron gave us a glimpse of Notting Hill life in the raw. Launching his blog the Tory leader was seen attempting to do his washing-up, while telling the BBC and ITV (his former employer) to "watch out". Please be gentle with us, Dave.

Yogh - It seems a funny word with which to end an A-Z guide (admittedly with a few missing letters), but the yogh - an ancient Scottish letter, written as "z" - is what makes Sir Menzies Campbell's name sound like "Ming-is" rather than "Menz-is". Please, don't ask Y.

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Are there any political words you've heard this year which you think should be in our list? Send your suggestions on the form below.

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