• CNN/Money, The Wall Street Journal, OUPblog , Thursday, November 13, 2008 11 AM

You can tell a year by the words it generates, and 2008 has been filled with neologisms that support the candidacy of The New Frugality as the term that best describes the zeitgeist. In fact, one of the finalists for the top downer is "frugalista" - a "person who leads a frugal lifestyle but stays fashionable and healthy by swapping clothes, buying second-hand, growing own produce, etc."

But the winning word is "hypermile," which means "to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one's car and driving techniques." The word even has it's own Web site that's filled with tips that make me feel like a hot-rodding ("slowly accelerate after stops") wastrel ("always know your gas mileage after trips to the pump").

Other finalists include "moofer," a Mobile Out-Of-Office worker who reports daily to the electric device of his or her choice instead of a cubicle. Moofer has the potential, I feel, to rival "consultant" as a code word for someone who is between actual salaried positions -- I speak here from nearly 20 years of experience -- and it even rhymes with goofer.

As for "topless meeting," don't get your jollies up. It's a meeting in which electronic devices must be shut off. Sort of a virtual coffee break for moofers.

And then there's "toxic debt," the poorly secured bank loans that were rewrapped and regifted like a holiday fruit cake until we finally took a bite and wound up with a terrible case of flatulence.

Those are my takes on the words anyway; the folks at The New Oxford American Dictionary, who dream up and publicize the awards annually during what they call WOTY (Word of The Year) time, have slightly more staid definitions. But I use "staid" loosely in describing these lexicographers; the OUPblog is anything but for those of you trying to stay flush with the currency of the advertising realm .

Read the whole story at CNN/Money, The Wall Street Journal, OUPblog »