‘sex and shopping’: meaning and origin

a genre of popular fiction featuring wealthy and glamorous characters who typically engage in frequent sexual encounters and extravagant spending—USA, 1985 & 1986, in reference to British novelist Jackie Collins and U.S. novelist Judith Krantz

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‘ginger group’: meaning and origin

a group within a political party or other organisation, which presses for stronger or more radical policy or action—UK, 1916—the image is of providing ‘ginger’ (i.e., vigour) in a party or organisation

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‘to keep the bastards honest’: meaning and origin

to ensure that politicians, large business organisations, etc., behave fairly and openly, and are accountable for their actions—Australia, 1980—coined by Don Chipp, Leader of the Australian Democrats, with reference to the major political parties

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‘imbuggerance’ (absolute indifference)

Particularly in Australian English, with reference to the phrase ‘not to care a bugger’, meaning ‘not to care at all’, the noun ‘imbuggerance’, also ‘embuggerance’, denotes ‘absolute indifference’.

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‘mockumentary’: meaning and early occurrences

denotes a film, television programme, etc., which adopts the form of a serious documentary in order to satirise its subject—apparently first used (and perhaps coined) in 1952 by the Canadian television producer Ross McLean

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