Mark my words & other cliches

All the talents A catchphrase typical of Gordon Brown in that it makes the cabinet reshuffle sound at once like a moral crusade and an edition of Opportunity Knocks. Perhaps Paul Potts turned down an offer to be made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Envoy Any representative sent to the Middle East, whether by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the United Nations or the so-called Quartet of Powers, tends immediately to become special: "Tony Blair is set to be a special envoy working on Palestinian issues".

Mafia A Scottish mafia has promptly and predictably been located within the new Cabinet. The term mafia has been exploited so often to describe the alliances formed under successive political regimes (such as the Cambridge mafia), that once shocking recollections of Cosa Nostra now lie dormant. However sweeping changes promise to be, the wearily familiar vocabulary attendant on reshuffle s (cabinets are never merely "shuffled") seems designed to temper hopes and expectations.

Party interest Always narrow, and especially so when you are trying to form a broad-based administration: "I'll reach out beyond narrow party interest. I'll build a Government that uses all the talents."

Ultimate David Beck-ham had his " ultimate act of revenge on Fabio Capello" when the Italian was sacked for forcing him out of the Bernabeu. Beckham, who had similarly marked his La Liga debut "in the ultimate manner, heading home inside three minutes", perhaps summons such superlatives, because he belongs to the epic realm of advertising, in which the experience, whether it is driving, shaving or showering, seems to be routinely ultimate.

Further reading 'Cricket Lexicon' and 'Football Lexicon' by John Leigh and David Woodhouse. Faber and Faber, [pound]9.99 each.

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