[Scarlett.]

THE word "simples" was yesterday poised to make it into the Oxford English Dictionary - thanks to TV's cuddly meerkat.

Compilers of the respected tome admitted the catchprase of Aleksandr - star of the price comparison insurance ads - had taken the entire nation by storm in 2009.

It topped a list of new words that will be included in future editions of the dictionary if ordinary folk continue to use them.

Susie Dent, of the Oxford University Press - who regularly appears on Channel 4's Countdown - hailed it her favourite word of the year.

She said: "Simples has quickly become a catchphrase said by anyone when they mean something is very easy to achieve.

"We may not like it, and it may well not last, but it proves that English is moving quickly and is as robust as ever."

"Defriend", meaning to remove someone from a list of pals on Facebook, is among other new words that may go in - along with "tweetup", a meet-up arranged via Twitter.

The old word "redact", meaning to obscure, came back with the MPs' expenses scandal. Meanwhile a mix of jeans and leggings gives us "jeggings".

The Top Ten words and phrases of 2009 are:1 Simples; 2 Unfriend/Defriend; 3 Great Recession; 4 Staycation (to holiday at home); 5 Tweetup; 6 Zombie Bank (a bust finance institution kept going by taxpayers); 7 Barbecue Summer (duff Met Office forecast); 8 Jeggings; 9 Redact; 10 Paywalls (website content off limits without a subscription)

The Sun

[Smithy]

i dont know half the words on that list

[Jessica.]

Simples