Lingua Franca

Staying in the loop is easy with the year’s latest lingo

Bunga bunga: The nickname for wild sex parties hosted by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at his villa.

CarmagedDon: A traffic jam of Biblical proportions predicted for Los Angeles when a crucial stretch of the 405 highway closed for roadwork.

Clouds: Where IT is parking its applications and storing data and backup files. Now software, like Word, isn’t loaded onto each computer but is accessible to all via the Internet. Lovely, until the connection goes down.

Glitter bombing: Protesters like throwing glitter on GOP candidates such as Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann because it’s a snap to conceal, easy to handle and difficult to remove.

SlutWalk: After a Toronto cop said “women should avoid dressing like sluts” in order not to be attacked, rallies sprang up around the world protesting the “blame the victim” message.

Tiger mom: Yale law professor and author Amy Chua’s term for her strict parenting style: no complaints, no grades less than A, no TV, no play dates.