A NEW survey suggests we dread the office Christmas party. This is hardly surprising. It is an occasion packed with potential pitfalls: the mild flirtation with a colleague that enrages a jealous partner; the danger of blabbing some gossip you swore never to reveal; the chance for a spot of lewd photocopying.

Our greatest phobia, according to the survey, is having to make small talk with our superiors. Perhaps this masks a still deeper fear: the risk of having one over the odds and being rather too frank with the boss.

Updated: 10:19 Tuesday, November 27, 2001