Election Gives American English New Phrases (Reuters.com) LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thanks to 2004 presidential election, Americans now know that after a lot "flip-flopping" the country is divided into "red and blue states" where "moral values" are important, according to a survey of political terms that became household words during the campaign.

According to the study released on Wednesday by Global Language Monitor, a nonprofit group which ranks word usage, the Nov. 2 election popularized a number of political words and phrases once used mainly by political insiders.

Among the most-used words of the campaign were red and blue states, signifying Republican and Democratic strongholds; flip-flopping, a term used by Republicans to denigrate the politics of Democrat John Kerry; moral values, a reason cited by voters for their electoral choices; and liberal, used in a pejorative sense.

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