The English language is very much alive and growing. In the past decade alone such new words and phrases as Patriot Missile, thrash metal, Gaia, fatism, womanist and Cowabunga have been assimilated into everyday language. Reflecting all areas of modern life from technology to ecology, and youth culture to big business, the 750 articles in this guide illustrate the origins and usage of each term with quotations from a wide range of publications.