The Top Ten Phrases of 2005
1. Out of the Mainstream 违背潮流: Used to describe the ideology of any political opponent.
2. Bird Flu/Avian Flu 鸟流感/禽流感: the H5N1 strain of Flu that resembles that of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic where 60 million died.
3. Politically Correct / 政治性正确: Emerges as a worldwide phenomenon.
4. North/South Divide / 南北分界: In the US it might be Red States and Blue States but globally the 'haves' and 'have nots' are divided by a geographical if not psychological boundary.
5. Purple Thumb / 紫拇指(荣誉章): The badge of honor worn by Iraqi voters proving that they voted in their ground-breaking elections.
6. Climate Change / 气候变化: Or Global Warming. No matter what your political persuasion, the fact remains that New York City was under 5,000 feet of ice some 20,000 years ago.
7. String Theory / 线性理论: The idea that the universe is actually constructed of 11-dimensional, pulsating planes of existence.
8. The Golden Quatrilateral: India's new superhighway system that links the key cities of the Subcontinent.
9. Jumping the Couch / 在长沙发上乱蹦(汤姆·克鲁斯在奥普拉的脱口秀节目中将其流行开来). Apparently losing complete emotional control; made popular by the escapades of Tom Cruise on the Oprah television show.
10. Deferred success / 迟到的成功: The idea introduced in the UK that there is no such thing as failure, only deferred success.