A survey of newspaper articles over the past two decades shows a sharp spike in mentions of the dreaded D-word, as commentators have started to think the worst.

D. Catching the drift of the content instead of understanding every word and never waste too much time on single words.

I never expected to hear the 'D' word applied to my lifetime, although my mother, who was a small child during the Great Depression, habitually recycles buttons and sometimes even zippers.