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Recession Inspires New Words

Tribune file photo by JULIE BUSCH

Staycations, Obamanomics and bailout are just some of the words commonly used now.

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By BETH GADDIS | TBO.com

Published: March 16, 2009

Tampa - It's official. The recession is changing the way we speak.

Here's a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the new words we commonly use since the economy went into the tank:

Furlough: Unpaid, and often unwelcome, time off from your job.

Furcation: Going someplace while on furlough or combining paid vacation days with unpaid days.

Staycation: Staying at home because you can't afford to travel during your days off.

Frugalista: Someone who makes being frugal fashionable.

Obamanomics: The president's idea of how bottom-up economic prosperity will replace trickle-down economics. Commonly referred to as the rescue plan by supporters; opponents call it the worst mistake ever made.

Stimulus package: The $787 billion bill passed by Congress that is supposed to save or create 3 million jobs, modernize federal infrastructure, increase alternative fuel production, expand health care, improve education, help small businesses, invest in science research, and build or repair roads and bridges.

Housing bubble: Your house is worth a lot less than it used to be worth.

Nationalization: The government stepping in to run businesses after they've run themselves into the ground.

Bailout: The money businesses get from taxpayers after they're run themselves into the ground and before they are nationalized.

Do you have other new words? Keep them family-friendly and add them in the comments area below.

Keep in mind, this isn't the first time our lexicon has changed. After 9/11, we all learned the meaning of IEDs, WMDs, al-Qaida, Jihad, Taliban, shock and awe, axis of evil and homeland security.

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