While we are on the subject of words – or overused words – here’s a report from BBC Online on an exercise taking place in Australia in which citizens of the continent are being asked to vote on the Word of the Year 2007.

The competition, being run by Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary, include 17 categories containing a total of 85 words and Australians are being asked to vote online by January 31.

Here’s the list of words from the BBC Online report.

Some words appear to have a unique Australian flavour.

AUSSIE WORDS 2007

Password fatigue: Frustration caused by having too many passwords and failing to remember them

Manscaping: Male grooming procedures involving the removal of body hair

Tanorexia: An obsessive desire to have tanned skin

Credit card tart: Someone who transfers loans to a new card when the interest-free period of the first card expires

But many of the new words seem to reflect global developments and trends.

Chindia is used as a noun to refer to China and India as a collective unit, in terms of economic power and strategic importance.

There are also five new words related to carbon emissions and how to deal with them, reflecting growing concern about climate change.

Several of the new words relate to advances in technology.

Pod slurping is described as the practice of downloading large quantities of data to an MP3 player or memory stick from a computer.

Griefers, meanwhile, are players who deliberately sabotage online computer games instead of abiding by the rules.

Other words represent new definitions for old concepts.

Kippers are adult children who fail to leave home - a contraction of Kids In Parents' Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings.

Man flu, meanwhile, refers to a minor cold contracted by a man who then proceeds to exaggerate the symptoms, the dictionary said.

Voting closes on 31 January and Australia's Word of the Year 2007 will be announced in the first week of February.