word of the day: "top-up"

Seen all over London on ads, and heard in all the best corner convenience stores: top-up.

Pay-as-you-go mobile phones are far more popular here than they are in the States -- where almost everyone pays monthly, and has a contract with penalties for trying to get out of it in less than two years. So when you need to do what Americans might call "refilling" your balance, the Brits pop into a grocery store -- or almost any kind of store that sells basics like candy, newspapers, food, cigarettes, etc. -- to "top-up": You pay the clerk your £10 or whatever and you get a receipt with a serial number you use to call into your account and add the amount to your balance.

You can also top-up your Oyster card (your pay-as-you-go mass transit travel card), and I've seen the term used in a playful way to sell food: One KFC ad suggest that you "Top yourself up for £1.49."

I love the word for the bouncy, cheery way it pops off your tongue. It's actually kinda fun to walk up to a Sainbury's till (or register, for mono-English) and ask for an "Orange top-up." (Orange is my mobile provider.)

(word of the day/phrase of the day: I highlight a word or phrase, especially new coinages or clever usages, that tickles me)