What do the months of January, April and July 2012 have in common? Here’s a clue: they might cause problems for anyone who suffers from paraskevidekatriaphobia. Still none the wiser? Okay, well, how about if I told you that any month in which the first day falls on a Sunday has a clash of day and date which makes some people feel rather uncomfortable?

If you haven’t already guessed, then the day I’m talking about is Friday and the date is the 13th, the one calendar milestone which causes inexplicable anxiety for anyone with superstitious tendencies. No one really knows why this date has such negative associations, but a fair few of us might confess to feeling a little bit spooked by the mention of it. Would you plan anything important for Friday 13th?

If I’ve had a tough day, there’s nothing that gives me greater pleasure than to curl up on the sofa watching telly, with a nice cuppa, a bar of choccy, maybe a few biccies too, and in case I feel the need for virtual company, my beloved lappy  at my side …

If you’re wondering what on earth is next to me on the sofa, check out this week’s BuzzWord, which reveals all and throws the spotlight on those ‘cute’ abbreviated forms that we sometimes use to refer to familiar things in a quasi-affectionate way. Though most of us take informal words like telly for granted, closer consideration of the concept led me to question why some everyday objects get this kind of ‘cuddly’ treatment, and others don’t. Can you join me in a quest to gather more of these forms? Do you have any special ones in your own particular idiolect? Or if English isn’t your first language, maybe you could tell us if your native language has an equivalent?

Twelve tweets a-tweeting
Eleven dumbphones ringing
Ten memes a-spreading
Nine nonliners surfing
Eight followers following
Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

No romp through the word formation highlights of 2010 could be complete without at least some reference to the tweet, that 140-character-or-less snippet of text which has taken the world by storm. Whether it’s the rescue of 33 Chilean miners or Kate Middleton’s engagement ring, it seems that there aren’t many things that happen these days which, at some time, by someone, aren’t worthy of a tweet or two.

Follow this link to read the full Twelve words of Christmas BuzzWord article.

Eleven dumbphones ringing
Ten memes a-spreading
Nine nonliners surfing
Eight followers following
Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

There was a time when mobile phones were just phones. However, in a world dominated by mobile communication and the technology surrounding it, we have seen the evolution of the smartphone, giving us e-mail, Internet access, in fact a hand-held computer which happens to make phone calls. But for those of us still content to use a phone for actually speaking to people or sending the odd text message, there remains the good old dumbphone.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

Ten memes a-spreading
Nine nonliners surfing
Eight followers following
Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries

The idea of an ‘inside joke’ has been taken to a whole new level with the concept of the Internet meme. Whether it’s a catchphrase, a joke or a picture of a cute little piglet wearing wellington boots, a meme is something that spreads like wildfire, courtesy of the web; a kind of online version of a Chinese whisper, with a potentially limitless number of participants.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

Nine nonliners surfing
Eight followers following
Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

Access to the World Wide Web is now so fundamental to everyday life that there are a growing number of campaigns aimed at getting everyone connected. The BBC‘s high profile ‘First Click‘ was one such initiative this year, whose target audience was those who had never had access to the Internet – a proportion of the population collectively described as nonliners.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

Eight followers following
Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

In a year in which the concept of social media went mainstream rather than remaining the preserve of the young or computer-literate, a new sense of the word follow (and its opposite unfollow) further embedded itself. TV presenters can now be regularly heard promoting broadcasts and related media by saying ‘follow us on Twitter‘ where follow means subscribing to online messaging in relation to a particular person or topic.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it.

Seven days of glamping
Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

A soggy sleeping bag on a lumpy carry mat? Brushing your teeth in a crowded toilet block? Oh, no, this is the 21st century and camping has become glamping. Out with nature and in with pamper, as the activity of ‘sleeping under the stars’ is accompanied by every home comfort and more – from quilts and cushions to high-tech cooking gear.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it.

Six pairs of jeggings
An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

People over a certain age who once enjoyed the comfort and fit of leggings might this year have been pleased to see their 21st century rebirth in the form of jeggings, close fitting, stretchy trousers with styling and fabric akin to denim jeans. Variations on the same theme include treggings, a cross between leggings and trousers, and a version for the boys dubbed meggings.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.

An oilpocalypse
Four spot-fixing scandals
Three election worms
Two pineberries
And an earsplitting vuvuzela

In April 2010, people the world over were aghast at images of an environmental catastrophe of epic proportions, caused by an explosion at an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Considered to be the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, the BP oil disaster was dubbed the oilpocalypse, as its appalling trail of environmental devastation began to unfold.

If you can’t wait for tomorrow’s word, take a look at the full BuzzWord article.