times: That will add insult to injury: the subprime collapse has already triggered bumper write-downs of some $130 billion.

There's nothing like global financial chaos for enriching the vocabulary. Few realized what sub-prime really meant until a U.S. mortgage market went pop last year. These days it's a byword for bad news everywhere. And who knew those collateralized debt obligations could be such a smack in the chops? But it's time for a new word. One that's no less mean or mysterious. Try the new bad term on the street: monolines.