blanch holding

And be it enacted, That all Tenures of any Lands or Heretages in Scotland, that are now held or liable or be held of his Majesty by Ward Holding, whether simple or taxed Ward, are hereby enacted to be turned into Blanch Holding […]

1876, Hugh Cowan, The Land Rights of Scotland: Being a Collection of the Entail, Conveyancing, and Other Statutes Relating to Land:

(Scots law, historical) A mode of tenure by the payment of a small duty in white rent (silver) or otherwise.


obtemper

en-verb

obtemper (third-person singular simple present obtempers, present participle obtempering, simple past and past participle obtempered)

obtempers (present singular third-person)
obtempering (participle present)
obtempered (participle past)
obtempered (past)

and after reading thereof, enquir'd at him, if he would obtemper the famin; to which he answer'd, That he could not comply with, or would he obtemper the said Sentence

1712, Charles Nice Davies, The Present State of the Parties in Great Britain:

(Scots law, transitive) To obey (a judgement or decree).


backbond

(Scots law) An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust.


decerniture

(historical or obsolete, Scots law) A decree or sentence of a court.


assythment

en-noun

assythment (countable and uncountable, plural assythments)

/əˈsʌɪðmənt/

From assyth + -ment, from Old French aset, asez, originally meaning "enough". See assets.

It may be observed that assythment is not due to the next of kin of a person slain where the offender hath by the exertion of public justice suffered the punishment due to his crime; but whether it can be demanded from the king's donatary where the criminal hath fled from justice and forfeited his movable estate upon a sentence of fugitation, may be doubted.

1871, John Erskine, An Institute of the Law of Scotland, volume 2, page 1235:

I, Fergus and my Heirs and Assignies, against all deadly the foresaid Three Daughs, and the forenamed Land of Ardendraught, with their pertinents, liberties and assythments and other privileges as aforesaid.

1894 February 13, Scottish Notes and Queries, volume 7, page 140:

Although there is no precise statistical analysis of assythments, bonds of manrent were only very rarely used in such circumstances.

2003, Christine Peters, Women in Early Modern Britain, 1450-1640, page 25:

(Scots law, historical) Compensation or reparation for a criminal offence.


apprizer

The apprizer, therefore (as the holder of a mortgage was then called), entered upon possession, and, in the language of Hotspur, “came me cranking in”

1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

(Scots law) A creditor for whom an appraisal is made.


obreption

From Latin obreptio, from obrepo, obreptum (“to creep up to”), from ob (see prefix ob-) + repo (“to creep”).

In Mr John Maitland's action against Cardross, (vide 17th instant,) the Lords repelled Cardross's allegeances founded upon the impetrating of the gift of eschat from his Majesty by obreption expresso mendacio, or subreption celata veritate; because it appeared that there was a competition made by Cardross before the gift was past in Exchequer, and this same objection was made against it, that it was impetrated viis et modis;

1826, Mungo Ponton Brown, Supplement to the Dictionary of the Decisions of the Court of Session, page 390:

(Scots law, obsolete) Act of obtaining gifts of escheat by fraud or surprise.


stave church

A wooden church with a medieval post and lintel construction.


subreption

subreption (countable and uncountable, plural subreptions)

/sʌbˈɹɛpʃən/

From Latin subreptio, from subripere, subreptum (“to snatch or take away secretly”). Compare French subreption. See surreptitious, surreptition.

(Scots law) The act of obtaining a gift or favor by concealing the truth.


Blairist

en-adj

Blairist (comparative more Blairist, superlative most Blairist)

more Blairist (comparative)
most Blairist (superlative)

The campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq left him looking like the leader of a Blairist 'front' party as he backed the government on these and other issues.

2006, David Childs, Britain Since 1945: A Political History, page 298:

The Blairist emphasis on inclusiveness and recruitment by post code will likewise set off a new downward spiral in education[…]

2000, The Salisbury Review: Volumes 19-20:

(UK politics) Favouring, or according to, the policies of Tony Blair, British prime minister 1997-2007.


nonentry

en-noun

nonentry (countable and uncountable, plural nonentries)

(Scots law, historical) The casualty or advantage which formerly fell to the superior when the heir of a deceased vassal failed to renew the investiture, the superior being then entitled to the rent of the feu.


Mithraeum

Mithraeum (plural Mithraea or Mithraeums)

A grotto where the god Mithra was worshipped.


blue wall

From blue + wall. From the representative color of the political party, and the solidity of support for that party in that region.

Coordinate term: red wall

(UK politics) A group of Conservative-leaning parliamentary constituencies that are seen as shifting away from the party.


usurary

en-adj

usurary (comparative more usurary, superlative most usurary)

more usurary (comparative)
most usurary (superlative)

Latin usurarius (“that serves for use, that pays interest”). See English usurer, French usuraire.

uder

(obsolete, especially Scots law) Usurious.


rejoiner

From rejoin + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (ideological suffix).

All these obstacles are real. None can be wished away. Which is why rejoiners need to look to the likes of [Nigel] Farage and [John] Redwood for inspiration.

2023 June 23, Jonathan Freedland, “With even leavers regretting Brexit, there’s one path back to rejoining the EU”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK politics) Someone who wants the United Kingdom to join the European Union again.


Thatchernomics

(economics) The economic policies followed by Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister.


clear blue water

Introduced by the Conservative Party in the 1990s.

It was the Conservatives' policy, designed in part to put some clear blue water between themselves and Labour and to refresh Conservative Party ideas.

2002, Anthony Forster, Euroscepticism in Contemporary British Politics, page 27:

But, Boyle's admission does put clear blue water between CC and the autonomist politics of another notorious commons enthusiast, Peter Linebaugh, who is also included in this chapter.

[…] the Conservatives can still create clear blue water between them and Labour by showing how they prioritise the family over the State.

2011, Martin H. M. Steven, Christianity and Party Politics: Keeping the Faith, page 62:

I was of the view that there ought to be clear blue water between us and the Tories on this issue.

Sitting on the bottom of both league tables - with clear blue water between it and the next worst operator - is Avanti West Coast.

2023 February 8, Sir Michael Holden, “Comment: Boom or bust: time to decide”, in RAIL, number 976, page 3:

(idiomatic, especially UK politics) An obvious, unambiguous divide between the policies of two parties.

daylight

emotional or psychological distance, or disagreement; usually in the expression put daylight between oneself and someone


CPB

Communist Party of Britain
w:Communist Party of Britain

(UK politics) Initialism of Communist Party of Britain.


Borismania

2012 October 8, James Kirkup, The Telegraph:

(UK politics) Enthusiasm for Boris Johnson (born 1964), British politician and Mayor of London.


excamb

en-verb

excamb (third-person singular simple present excambs, present participle excambing, simple past and past participle excambed)

excambs (present singular third-person)
excambing (participle present)
excambed (participle past)
excambed (past)

(transitive, Scots law) To exchange; used with reference to transfers of land.


Tír na nÓg

Borrowed from Irish Tír na nÓg (literally “land of the young”), from Old Irish Tír inna n-Óc. Cognate with Scottish Gaelic Tìr nan Òg, Manx Çheer ny Aeg.

bor+

In the old Irish folklore, this is a land where no one gets old or sick and where heroes live in comfort and tranquillity. But the land of Tír na nÓg only materialises to mere mortals at certain times, under certain circumstances.

2013, John Jacob English, Fragile Blue, AuthorHouse, page 40:

Tír na nÓg is not an afterlife analogous to the Christian concept of heaven but an Otherworld of earthly paradise that is home to the genealogical ancestors of the fairies, the Tuatha Dé Danaan.

2016, Christopher Collins, Theatre and Residual Culture, Springer Nature (Palgrave Macmillan), page 261:

Grafting Tír na nÓg, the mythical land of eternal youth in Irish mythology, onto the Greek tragic tale is a stark and unexpected move.

2020, Isabelle Torrance, “Post-Ceasefire Antigones and Northern Ireland”, in Isabelle Torrance, Donncha O'Rourke, editors, Classics and Irish Politics, 1916-2016, Oxford University Press, page 338:

(Irish mythology) The Land of (eternal) Youth; one of the names for the Celtic otherworld (or possibly a part thereof).


jinja

Borrowed from Japanese 神社 (じんじゃ, jinja), from Middle Chinese 神社, from Old Chinese 神社 (“sacrificial altar, shrine”), from 神 (*hlin, “deity, divine”) + 社 (*ɦljaːʔ, “Earth deity [and altar]”). Cognate with Mandarin 神社 (shénshè, “shrine”).


Thatcherian

en-adj

Thatcherian (comparative more Thatcherian, superlative most Thatcherian)

more Thatcherian (comparative)
most Thatcherian (superlative)

Of or relating to Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), British prime minister.


MoD

The MoD said the injured men received immediate medical attention and were evacuated by air to the military hospital at Camp Bastion, but three could not be saved. Next of kin have been informed. The other soldiers hurt are not thought to have life-threatening injures.

2013 May 1, Nicholas Watt, Nick Hopkins, “Afghanistan bomb: UK to 'look carefully' at use of vehicles”, in The Guardian:

Ministry of Defence
w:Ministry of Defence

(UK politics) Initialism of Ministry of Defence; also MOD.


EDL

The very Ballardian violence comes from rogue Salafist jihadists and their far-right counterparts, the Nativists (imagine the EDL with brains); […]

2015 September 8, Alex Preston, “Submission by Michel Houellebecq review – satire that’s more subtle than it seems”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

The EDL said Saturday’s rally was aimed at highlighting what it describes as a “continued increase in Islamic terrorism” linked to Birmingham.

2017 April 8, Nicola Slawson, “Birmingham mosque counters EDL rally with ‘best of British’ tea party”, in The Guardian:

English Defence League
w:English Defence League

(UK politics) Initialism of English Defence League.


Camelotian

Camelotian (comparative more Camelotian, superlative most Camelotian)

more Camelotian (comparative)
most Camelotian (superlative)

of or relating to the Arthurian legend of Camelot.


Gawain

From Middle English Gawayne, from Old French Gauvain, from Old Welsh [Term?], probably of Celtic origin, like many other characters from Arthurian legends, perhaps from Proto-Brythonic *gwalx (“hawk”) (from Proto-Celtic *wolkos) + *gwɨnn (“white”). Doublet of Gavin. More at Gawain.

One of the greatest knights in Arthurian legend; he is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table.

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights


grumbletonian

He was often dis-guſted, and thought a Grumble-tonian; but there was no getting an inſight into his Proceedings. He’d be counted ſometimes (behind the Curtain) a High-Flyer, and Tory-rory-Ranter; yet, by his natural In-ſtinks, he inclined to be of the Low-Party: Some ſay he was of no Side, but between both.

1722, The Rump Examin’d; with It’s Secrets Discover’d, and laid open, A. Moore, page 18:

(obsolete, UK politics, derogatory, slang) Originally a member of the 17th-century Country Party; later a member of the opposition.


quarter farthing

en-noun

quarter farthing (plural quarter farthings)

[‘]The score, however, was only 10 thalers, 4 groschen, 6 pfennigs’ (30 shillings, 5 pence, and 2 or perhaps 3 quarter-farthings), ‘for what I had run-up in eight weeks[.]’

1750 June–August, Thomas Carlyle, in The Works of Thomas Carlyle III (2010), ed. Henry Duff Traill, page 257

(historical numismatics) A British coin, produced for circulation in Ceylon 1839–1853, which, at a face value of ⅟₁₆d. (£⅟₃₈₄₀), is the lowest denomination of coin ever minted for the United Kingdom.

quart de farthing

former British coin denominated to ⅟₁₆d.


three halfpence

head

three halfpence (sometimes a plural noun with the singular three halfpenny, sometimes singular, plural three halfpences)

(historical numismatics) A silver coin with a face value of one and a half pence (1½d.):

Such a British coin (1½d. = £⅟₁₆₀), minted 1834–1843 and 1860–1862 for circulation in the colonies of the British Empire (chiefly Ceylon and the West Indies).


command paper

So called because they are presented to Parliament formally "by Her Majesty's Command".

(UK) A document issued by the government and presented to Parliament.


PPC

en-noun

PPC (countable and uncountable, plural PPCs)

(UK politics) Initialism of prospective parliamentary candidate: a candidate selected for a future election before the election campaign has officially begun.


violent profits

(Scots law) Rents or profits of an estate obtained by a tenant wrongfully holding over after warning. They are recoverable in a process of removing.


Majorite

(UK politics) A political supporter of John Major (born 1943), British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997.


Bebhionn

From Irish Bébinn, seemingly from bean (“woman”) + binn (“melodious”). More at Bébinn.

(Irish mythology) A goddess of birth in Irish mythology.


adoratory

A room in a temple for the adoration of idols.


Arthurianism

The use of Arthurian legend in literature, history, etc.

arturianismo

the use of Arthurian legend in literature


Galahad

From Old French Galahad, of obscure origin and meaning. Suggestions include Old Welsh, or biblical Gilead.

(Arthurian legend) Sir Galahad, son of Sir Lancelot, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table famously known for his purity and who was one of the three achievers of the quest for the Holy Grail.

(rare) A male given name from the Celtic languages in occasional use since the 19th century.

Flagstaff County
Flagstaff County#English

A hamlet in Flagstaff County, in east-central Alberta.


Fomorian

Probably Old Irish fo- (“under”) + mor, mur (“ocean”).

(Irish mythology, mythology) A member of the semi-divine race that were said to have inhabited Ireland in ancient times.


Fomorian

(Irish mythology) Of or relating to the race of semi-divine creatures said to have inhabited Ireland in ancient times.


appriser

(Scots law) One who carries out an apprising.


C. of E.

Church of England
Church of England#English


Indyref

Abbreviation of independence referendum.

In the first foreign policy initiative launched in Edinburgh since 1707, senior SNP figures have begun an intense round of behind-the-scenes meetings with foreign dignitaries as they prepare the ground for next year's indyref.

2013 October 23, David Leask, “SNP’s mission to woo the world”, in The Herald, Glasgow, archived from the original on 2017-05-17:

Experienced politicians were surprised by the astounding vitality that the indyref unleashed.

2014 September 23, Peter Jones, “Referendum shows the power of people”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh, archived from the original on 2017-05-17:

Coming exactly a year after the same “impossible” moment when the Yes vote hit 51 per cent before the indyref, this concerted and hysterical attack will have stirred memories and prompted sympathy among fellow Trident and austerity-opposing Yes voters.

2015 September 13, Lesley Riddoch, “Corbyn could play well with Scots”, in The Scotsman, Edinburgh, archived from the original on 2016-03-24:

My only regrets are thatbrad T2 failed to get to grips with the new era of #indyref and Scottish national identity – for which Renton's famous "shite" speech helped plant a tiny seed in 1996 – and that the second film didn't give the women characters much to do, especially the excellent Kelly Macdonald and Shirley Henderson.

2017 January 19, Peter Bradshaw, “T2 Trainspotting review – choose a sequel that doesn’t disappoint”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2017-01-20:

(Scotland, informal) The Scottish independence referendum held on 18 September 2014.


Arthuriana

From Arthurian + -ana or Arthur + -iana.

This chapter deals with the most complex geographic site in Arthuriana because of the intricate array of possibilities offered by clues, some supporting a link between Glastonbury and Arthur […]

1996, Frank D. Reno, The Historic King Arthur, page 221:

(Arthurian legend) Things relating to King Arthur.


Uther

From Middle English Uther, from Middle Welsh Uthyr.

(Arthurian legend) The father of King Arthur.


Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells

Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells (plural Disgusteds of Tunbridge Wells)

An invented pseudonym of the supposed writer of a letter to a local newspaper in the archetypal Middle England town of Tunbridge Wells. Possibly first coined 1944 in the BBC radio series Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh.

The Post Office bitterly resents the criticism that is constantly voiced in the British press, both by "Disgusteds of Tunbridge Wells" and journalists.

1979, Adrian Hope, “Kept Incommunicado”, in New Scientist, page 1048:

It was refreshing that what raised the hackles of Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells had nothing to do with a colourful range of jumpers, nor a flighty Italian art director/photographer.

Of course 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' was never a Labour voter.

2003, Colin Leys, Market-driven Politics: Neoliberal Democracy and the Public Interest, Verso, →ISBN, page 216:

The Sussex Weald is all small towns and villages, 99 per cent white, gravel-drived, car-owning, the sort of place Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells would move to if he found Tunbridge Wells a bit too bustling.

2007, Jeremy Paxman, The Political Animal, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

The inanity of the British attack is obvious from some of the words the early Disgusteds of Tunbridge Wells complained about.

2011, Justin Webb, Notes on Them and Us: From the Mayflower to Obama – the British, the Americans and the special essential relationship., Short Books, →ISBN:

(UK, idiomatic) A stereotypical vocal conservative curmudgeon.


Devonwall

"The Highlands and Islands" phenomenon is the Scottish equivalent of "Devonwall" and all efforts must be made to challenge the creation of any more "Highlands and Islands" institutions which bring together the Highlands and the Northern Isles.

2000, Celtic League, Carn, volumes 108-117, page 4:

A conference at Newquay in November 1987, called at the behest of the Duke of Cornwall, allowed the proponents of 'Devonwall' to come up with a proposal for a Devon and Cornwall Development Company.

2003, Bernard Deacon, Garry Tregidga, Mebyon Kernow and Cornish Nationalism:

A new power to cross previously sacrosanct English county boundaries will arouse deep controversy in some parts, most notably in the far south-west of England where a 'Devonwall' constituency will become a reality and disappoint electors in both Cornwall and Devon.

2013, Justin Fisher, Christopher Wlezien, The UK General Election of 2010: Explaining the Outcome, Routledge, →ISBN, page 173:

Part and parcel of its involvement in such issues as industrial development, a Cornish university and the amalgamation of Cornish and Devonian public bodies (what became known as 'Devonwall') was a more public profile for its leaders.

2014, Derek R. Williams, Following 'An Gof': Leonard Truran, Cornish Activist and Publisher, The Cornovia Press, →ISBN, page 14:

(chiefly derogatory) The merger of local government structures in Devon and Cornwall.


stephening

(numismatics, historical, obsolete) Alternative form of steeping


steping

(numismatics, historical) Obsolete form of steeping.


en-proper noun

the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland

(historical) The British state when Great Britain and Ireland were a republic ruled by Oliver Cromwell.

Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland


Ywain

A knight of the Round Table and the son of King Urien in Arthurian legend.


TUSC

w:Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

(UK politics) Acronym of Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.


Milifandom

Abby says the Milifandom, which started last week, is “a movement against the distorted media portrayal of Ed”.

2015 April 21, Rebecca Ratcliffe, “Milifandom soars with Twitter backing for Labour leader Ed Miliband”, in The Guardian:

The student, who describes the 'Milifandom' as 'a movement against the distorted media portrayal of Ed', started the unlikely cult-following of Miliband in the run-up to the May election.

That, Ed Miliband told the Evening Standard, was his wife Justine's reaction to the news that her husband had a fandom. Milifandom.

2015, Iain Watson, Five Million Conversations: How Labour lost and election and rediscovered its roots:

So I jokingly suggested to an excolleague at BuzzFeed via Twitter that this could be her next piece, since she'd been the first to uncover the 'Milifandom' (the band of teenage girls who had developed swooning, semiironic crushes on Labour leader Ed Miliband during the 2015 eelection campaign).

2016, Robert Colvile, The Great Acceleration: How the World is Getting Faster, Faster:

A teenager has taken Milifandom to a whole new level by getting Ed Miliband's face tattooed on her thigh.

2016 January 12, Dan Bloom, “Milifandom taken to whole new level as teen fan gets Ed Miliband's face tattooed on her thigh”, in The Mirror:

And after Milifandom signally failed to shift votes in places like Nuneaton, the PM told last year’s post-election party conference ‘Britain and Twitter are not the same thing’.

2016 June 22, Paul Waugh, “How The ‘Ground War’, And Digital Targeting, Will Decide The EU Referendum Result”, in The Huffington Post:

(colloquial, UK politics) An Internet-based youth movement in support of Ed Miliband, then leader of the British Labour Party.


Brexit

Blend of Britain + exit, formed by analogy with Grexit.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest attested use is on 15 May 2012 in a Euractiv blog post by Peter Wilding titled “Stumbling towards the Brexit”, formed by analogy with Grexit, coined on 6 February 2012.

Unless a clear view is pushed that Britain must lead in Europe at the very least to achieve the completion of the single market then the portmanteau for Greek euro exit might be followed by another sad word, Brexit.

2012 May 15, Peter Wilding, “Stumbling towards the Brexit”, in EurActiv, archived from the original on 2016-06-24:

The business community began to take the idea of Brexit seriously. Three major American banks, the Bank of America, Citibank and Morgan Stanley, revealed they were working on contingency plans to relocate from London to Dublin […]

2015, Denis MacShane, Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe, London: I.B. Tauris, →ISBN, page 6:

David Cameron has resigned as Prime Minister after Britain voted to leave the European Union. It followed a turbulent night with Remain campaigners quietly confident until the early hours when results from Newcastle and Sunderland showed better than expected returns for the Brexit camp. A surprise victory for a Brexit in Swansea, which was expected to vote to Remain, did little to dampen concerns despite Scotland overwhelmingly backing staying in the Union.

2016 June 24, Kate McCann, “EU referendum live: David Cameron resigns after UK shocks the world by voting for Brexit”, in The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 2016-06-24:

The pensions of British Eurocrats are shaping up to be one of the most politically poisonous points in the UK’s Brexit talks, as the EU and London prepare to clash over liabilities running to several billion euros.

2016 August 1, Alex Barker, Jim Brunsden, “Eurocrats’ pensions shape up to be flashpoint in Brexit talks”, in The Financial Times, London:

We must lift the uncertainty caused by Brexit.

2017 June 19, Michel Barnier, “Brexit Negotiations: David Davis says ‘Promising Start’ Made”, in BBC News:

[Donald] Tusk said: “Our agreement will not make trade between the UK and the EU frictionless or smoother. It will make it more complicated and costly than today, for all of us. This is the essence of Brexit.”

2018 March 7, Daniel Boffey, Jennifer Rankin, “EU scorns UK’s ‘pick and mix’ approach to trade post-Brexit”, in The Guardian, London:

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times revealed that civil servants had warned of a “Doomsday Brexit” if no agreement is reached, creating shortages of medicine, fuel and food.

2018 June 5, “Brexit poll reveals record number of voters think decision to leave EU is wrong”, in The Independent, London:

“It’s all incredibly unhelpful and what we need to do now is to get closer with our European partners and work out what a realistic, pragmatic Brexit is that works for both sides, the EU and ourselves.”

2018 June 23, “Brexit: Theresa May ‘not bluffing’ in threat to leave EU without a deal, Tory minister Liam Fox says”, in The Independent, London:

A further referendum is not just a way for voters to decide whether to incur the economic and social cost of a final Brexit deal.

2019 March 5, David Miliband, “As foreign secretary I argued against an EU referendum. Now I back one”, in The Guardian:

The EESC also considers that the €5.4 billion reserve will not be sufficient to mitigate the negative effects of Brexit and asks the co-legislators to increase the proposed ceiling.

2021 November, Christiaan van Lierop, European Parliamentary Research Service:

Brexit has also made it harder for the UK to deport migrants back to the EU as the country has left the bloc’s asylum scheme.

2021 December 2, “Frontex plane arrives in northern France to help fight people smuggling”, in Euronews, sourced from AFP:

Thanks to Brexit, many ferry companies now run direct from Ireland to the EU mainland, bypassing UK ports such as Fishguard, with an impact on traffic.

2022 November 16, Paul Bigland, “From rural branches to high-speed arteries”, in RAIL, number 970, page 52:

Even the BBC, long prevaricating on the issue, has started properly reporting the Brexit catastrophe, particularly its impact on the cost of living, NHS staff shortages and projections of weak future economic growth.

2023 February 2, Andrew Adonis, “Sooner or later, re-entry to the customs union and single market is inevitable”, in Prospect:

Biden’s irritation with London’s inability to solve its “Irish question” after Brexit has also played a role.

2023 August 7, Jo Harper, “UK–US: What’s happened to their free trade deal?”, in Deutsche Welle:

The mayor of London has urged EU citizens to “choose London” over other European cities, promising to make the UK capital a better place to live and work despite Brexit.

2023 October 6, Heather Stewart, “‘Choose London’: Sadiq Khan steps up efforts to lure EU citizens post-Brexit”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

The Brexit referendum seemingly heralded such a moment but other than the negative sentiment of leave, the more positive agenda of what to do with the UK’s newfound status has been found wanting.

2023 November 3, Tim Olivier, “Brexit: a critical juncture in the UK’s international relations?”, in UK in a Changing Europe:

The Brits have been uniquely incompetent in wallowing in narcissistic irrelevance ever since the Brexit vote. They’ve refused to admit that the only path forward for them is a crippling deal with the United States that will give them access to the NAFTA system but at the cost of any kind of economic sovereignty.

2023 November 23, Peter Zeihan, “Ireland Needs a New Game Plan || Peter Zeihan”, in Zeihan on Geopolitics, sourced from YouTube, 2:55–3:14:

Brussels has warned the UK that it must fully apply the existing Brexit deals on EU citizens and Northern Ireland before it will entertain a reset in the relationship with London.

2024 August 1, Lisa O'Carroll, “UK must apply existing Brexit deals before any reset in relations, says EU”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), sourced from The Guardian:

(UK politics) Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

بِرِكْزِت

withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU

イギリスの欧州連合離脱

イギリスのおうしゅうれんごうりだつ

خروج بریتانیا از اتحادیه اروپا

xoruj-e beritâniyâ az ettehâdiye-ye orupâ


Butskellism

Blend of Butler + Gaitskell + -ism, after Rab Butler, the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer 1951–55, and his Labour predecessor Hugh Gaitskell 1950–51.

The next few weeks will show whether the Opposition will seize this chance of golden silence; or whether, in a Brown fury, it is going to throw the opportunity for constructive Butskellism away.

And then there was a sort of sensation at the door and in came Margaret Thatcher. Rab’s shell crackled and contracted a little, as he tried to look flattered by the attention of his new leader: she whose whole purpose it was to cram Butskellism as harshly as possible into the WPB of history.

1994, Christopher Hitchens, ‘On Spanking’, London Review of Books, volume 16, number 20:

Camerairism reflects a structural change more profound than Butskellism ever did.

2005 October 20, Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian:

(UK politics, now historical) A centrist economic policy obtaining in post-war Britain, upheld by both Conservative and Labour Chancellors.


WPB

Workers Party of Britain
w:Workers Party of Britain

(UK politics) Initialism of Workers Party of Britain.


Welsh not

(historical) A piece of wood or similar object used to discourage the speaking of Welsh in schools. Any child overheard speaking Welsh was given the "not", and the child who had it at the end of the day would be punished.


Scargillian

en-adj

Scargillian (comparative more Scargillian, superlative most Scargillian)

more Scargillian (comparative)
most Scargillian (superlative)

Of or relating to Arthur Scargill (born 1938), British politician and trade unionist.


Restoration

(history of UK) The events of 1660 when English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II.

(history of UK) The era of Restoration (1660 to 1685) under Charles II, or to 1688 when James II was king.

(history of France) The restoring of the Bourbon Dynasty in 1814.

(history of Japan) The restoring of imperial rule in Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji.


Fintan

(Irish mythology) In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, the father of Cethern.


Danu

Learned borrowing from Old Irish, from a reconstructed nominative form of the genitive Danann (also spelled Donand or Danand).
In particular, Danann is attested in the term Tuatha Dé Danann, which is typically translated "tribe of Danu" but used as the collective name for certain Irish gods (or, more prosaically, the people of a particular wave of immigration to Ireland, in the traditional history).
The etymology is controversial and has been debated since the 19th century. Some scholars identify Danu with the goddess Anu, perhaps as a contraction of día Anu ("goddess Anu").

This [battle] appears in Celtic history as that in which the Tuatha dè Danann, the tribes of the goddess Danu fought and conquered the Fir Bolg on Midsummer's Day.

1897, The Westminster Review, Volume 148: July-December 1897, page 17:

The old poets thought that the tribes of the goddess Danu were of a perfect beauty, and the creators of beautiful people and beautiful arts.

1897, W. B. Yeats, “The Tribes of Danu”, in The New Review, Volume 17: July-December 1897, William Heinemann, page 550:

1987, Peter Alderson Smith, W. B. Yeats and the Tribes of Danu: Three Views of Ireland's Fairies, C. Smythe, page 52,
She may be the same as Danu, or she may be the same as the Morrigu.

(Irish mythology) A hypothesised goddess of Irish mythology.


novodamus

(Scots law, historical) In Scottish feudal land law, a fresh grant of lands to the grantee, usually to make some change in the incidents of tenure of land already granted, or to resolve doubts about the grant or its terms.


Portilloism

Those few ministers with the good sense to doubt the certitudes of Portilloism, and still maintain some contact with reality, may even have been alarmed by its effectiveness.

I don't much care whether that creed is called socialism, bolshevism, Portilloism or Harvey's Law, I know what I stand for and am happy to defend it.

2001, Richard G, “Smith promises early action to scrap Section 28”, in uk.gay-lesbian-bi (Usenet):

(UK politics) The political stance of Michael Portillo (born 1953), former Member of Parliament, Deputy Conservative Party leader and Cabinet Minister.


Tezza

(UK politics, slang) The British politician Theresa May (born 1956), Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019.


Piggate

(neologism) The British scandal wherein Prime Minister David Cameron was reported to have inserted his penis into the mouth of a dead pig as part of an initiation ritual during his university years.


ERG

John Major struggled endlessly with Eurosceptics he termed “bastards”, while May’s nemesis was the European Research Group, or ERG, the longstanding alliance of Brexit ultras.

2022 January 8, Peter Walker, “ERG out, CRG in: the Tory factions Boris Johnson is struggling to appease”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

European Research Group
w:European Research Group

(UK politics) Initialism of European Research Group (“Eurosceptic/pro-Brexit publicly funded political activist group subdivision of the UK Conservatives”).


PMQs

Coordinate term: FMQs

For nine weeks Green sat by May’s side as serious allegations about his conduct emerged – and the Labour leader never raised a question at PMQs.

2018 July 16, Kate Maltby, Ava Etemadzadeh, “Harassment is parliament’s dirty cross-party secret. Is it about to change?”, in The Guardian:

David Davis tells Boris Johnson ‘in the name of God, go’ at chaotic PMQs [headline]

2022 January 19, Peter Walker, Rowena Mason, “David Davis tells Boris Johnson ‘in the name of God, go’ at chaotic PMQs”, in The Guardian:

Prime Minister's Questions
w:Prime Minister's Questions

(UK politics) Initialism of Prime Minister's Questions.


special measures

(Scots law) Judicial systems to protect vulnerable witnesses in courts of law.


Portillo moment

en-noun

Portillo moment (plural Portillo moments)

Originally referred to the 1997 United Kingdom general election in which Michael Portillo, a prominent Conservative representing what was thought to be a safe seat, unexpectedly lost to the Labour candidate.

But with FF seat losses by the dozen all over the country, the Portillo moments were stacked on several levels, like a good tin of biscuits.

2013, Paddy Duffy, Did That Actually Happen?: A Journey Through Unbelievable Moments in Irish Politics, Hachette UK, →ISBN:

Possibly the biggest Portillo moment north of the border, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is also in danger of losing his seat according to the marginal polls.

2015 May 7, Sebastian Payne, “Election night: the ten ‘Portillo moments’ to watch out for”, in The Spectator:

It's the 2015 General Election's Portillo moment - but who is the Tory who's scalped shadow chancellor Ed Balls by just 422 votes?

2015 May 8, Dan Bloom, “Andrea Jenkyns ousts Ed Balls: Everything you need to know about Tory who defeated Labour giant”, in The Mirror:

(UK politics) An election loss for a prominent politician.


Corbynite

A leading KC who as a young barrister represented the Association of London Authorities at the Fennell Inquiry into the King's Cross fire, he is associated with Labour's Corbynite left.

2024 July 24, “Network News: Labour's new team at DfT packed with railway experience”, in RAIL, number 1014, page 9:

(UK politics) A supporter of Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949), British socialist politician elected leader of the Labour Party in 2015.


feal and divot

No doubt, the want of access by a good road, together with the circumstance of the lands and barony of Torrie, of which this property forms a part, being held in runrigg between the Master of Mortifications of Aberdeen and Mr Menzies of Pit-foddels, and a servitude of feal and divot, which existed over nearly one-third of the muir ground, in favour of the adjoining property of South Loirston, contributed in a great degree to retard the improvement of the land in this locality, notwithstanding its near vicinage to Aberdeen.

1841, Prize-essays and Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland:

(Scots law) A predial servitude (a legal interest by a non-owner connected with a piece of land) that grants the dominant tenant the right to cut out portions of turf for the construction or repair of sod structures such as houses, fences, or roofs.


afterhand

an afterhand rent

(Scots law, archaic) Paid afterwards, rather than in advance.


bedroom tax

(UK politics) A reduction in housing benefit for people who live in social housing that is deemed underoccupied.


beerage

Blend of beer + peerage, coined in the late 19th century in response to the awarding of honours to brewers.

(UK politics) The influence of the brewing industry within the British political system.


remeid

remeid (countable and uncountable, plural remeids)

From Middle English remede, from Anglo-Norman and Old French remede. Doublet of remedy.

[…] the Commissioners of Burghs […] meet yearly at Inverkeithing “to treat of the welfare of merchandize, the good rule and statutes for the common profit of burghs, and to provide for remeid upon the skaith and injuries sustained within the burghs.”

1878, William Charles Smith, "Borough" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 64

(dialect) Remedy.
(Scots law) Legal redress of a wrong.


subfeu

From sub- + feu. Cognate with subfief and Latin subfeudum, subfeodare.

(Scots law, historical) A feu sublet by a vassal to a subvassal: a right to hold subinfeudated land in perpetuity in exchange for rent.


Dave Spart

Coined by Private Eye, playing on the word Spartacist (“a member of the International Communist League”).

Now every Dave Spart up the commune knows that basically, to his mind, the only, like, real theatre, man, is made by the people, you know, in the street, man, in the street.

1981, Reyner Banham, Design by Choice, London: Academy Editions:

But of course there is no shortage of people with ingenious ideas about how public money should be spent, and Ken is quite right when he warns us about a whole new generation of Dave Sparts currently working up from the grass roots

We don't get many Dave Sparts these days chopping hands, invoking the working class and using the word "total" twice in every sentence.

Like McGuinness, Wark's Left is populated by a cast of grotesques; of Dave Sparts who sleep with copies of Trotsky's Literature and Revolution tucked under their pillows.


one-nation conservatism

Refers to the fact that all classes are part of the same nation.

All this links Johnson firmly with his predecessors – Margaret Thatcher, John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May. So does (with Thatcher as the exception that proves the rule) his eagerness – on full display in his remarks in Downing Street on Friday – to employ that emptiest of empty signifiers, “one-nation Conservatism”.

[2019 December 14, Tim Bale, “The real Boris Johnson: one-nation Tory or raging populist?”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

(UK politics) A pragmatic paternalistic form of conservatism, conscious of working-class issues.


one-nation conservative

one-nation conservative (plural one-nation conservatives)

one-nation conservatism
one-nation conservatism

(UK politics) A follower of one-nation conservatism.


Bremain

Blend of Britain + remain, by analogy with Brexit.

"We want Britain to remain in the EU. We want not "Brexit" but "Bremain"."

2015 June 22, David Milliken, “U.S. and EU face 'heavy lift' to get trade deal: EU ambassador”, in Reuters:

Like the old Tory trouper Michael Heseltine, I think we can rule out him leading the “Outers.” For Brexit, read Bremain.

2015 October 8, Paul Routledge, “Europe referendum is the big political issue – but where do the parties stand?”, in The Mirror:

Brexit or Bremain? That is the question British voters may have to answer in just five months’ time on 23 June, if David Cameron’s renegotiation ends with a deal at the EU summit in February.

2016 February 21, Timothy Garton Ash, “Whether Brexit or Bremain, fear will triumph over fear”, in The Guardian:

But today the disconnect was heightened further as London's army of Bremain-backing resident called on the city's new mayor Sadiq Khan, to declare Greater London and its nine million population an independent state.

2016 June 25, Jon Austin, “Could London become an EU state? Calls for independence after capital votes to Bremain”, in Express:

(UK politics) The fact of the United Kingdom remaining in the European Union.


BoJo

(UK politics, slang) The British politician and journalist Boris Johnson (born 1964), Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022.


Round Table

Then, after a while, King Arthur said: "Let us go and see if, haply, this youth's name is marked upon any of the seats of the Round Table, for I think it should be there."

1905, Howard Pyle, The Story of the Champions of the Round Table, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, page 21:

(Arthurian legend) King Arthur's table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate, all having equal status since the table has no head.


Brexiteer

/ˌbɹɛksɪˈtɪə(ɹ)/

From Brexit + -eer, playing on musketeer and the novel The Three Musketeers.

After Ken Clarke's "Charge of Light Brigade" hit on Brexiteers in @Daily_Telegraph, Defra SoS likened to Lord Raglan in #CAP reform debate

2013 June 18, Huw Irranca-Davies, “@huw4ogmore”, in Twitter, archived from the original on 2016-11-16:

Whether you are a Europhile or a Brexiteer, it’s hard to see what’s not to like about a market-driven initiative that aims to pull down barriers to more investment across Europe.

2015 October 4, William Wright, “A plan from Brussels where Britain can take the lead”, in The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2018-11-09:

Denying he [David Cameron] was a "closet Brexiteer", as his former aide Steve Hilton has claimed, the PM told reporters: "I withdraw absolutely nothing I've previously said. Britain is an amazing country. We can find our way whatever the British people choose.

2016 May 27, “David Cameron: I am not a closet Brexiteer”, in The Herald, Glasgow:

A leading Tory Brexiteer has insisted quitting the EU does not mean the numbers of people coming to Britain will be slashed – and claimed Vote Leave never said it would.

2016 June 25, Tim Sculthorpe, “Tory Brexiteer Dan Hannan insists quitting the EU does NOT mean dramatic cuts to the number of immigrants coming to Britain”, in Daily Mail, London, archived from the original on 2016-06-26:

For Brexiteers in the UK, a free trade deal with the US was one of several promises made before and after the 2016 referendum that have failed to come to fruition.

2023 July 8, Jo Harper, “UK-US: What's happened to their free trade deal?”, in dw.com:

[Margaret] Thatcher was no Brexiteer. She was a strong supporter of the Single Market and thought that the [Channel] tunnel would help cement it.

2023 December 27, Christian Wolmar, “Hope springs eternal for greater use of the Channel Tunnel”, in RAIL, number 999, page 26:

(UK politics) Someone who supports Brexit, the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

Completing the Three Brexiteers is Boris Johnson, the UK's new Foreign Secretary.

2016 July 14, Christian May, “May and the three Brexiteers lead Britain”, in City A.M., London:

For newspapers with only the Olympics to write about during August, the squabbling "Three Brexiteers" – the senior ministers supposedly tasked with executing the will of the British people to remove us from the European Union – came as a gift.

2016 September 7, Simon Heffer, “The Three Brexiteers”, in New Statesman, London, published 9–15 September 2016, archived from the original on 2018-10-20:

She [British Prime Minister Theresa May] urges people to get behind the team of ministers working for Brexit: David Davis, Liam Fox, Priti Patel and Boris Johnson. (It seems Patel has now been co-opted as a fourth Brexiteer.)

2016 October 2, Andrew Sparrow, “May says workers’ rights will be protected as long as she is PM – Politics live”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2017-01-06:

That was until she announced that Boris Johnson would have to share Chevening, the foreign secretary’s grace-and-favour country retreat, with his fellow cabinet Brexiteers, David Davis and Liam Fox.

2016 October 31, Matt Chorley, “Bluster, bickering and three Brexiteers: Stage is set for a satire made in heaven: Yes Minister creator finds comic gold among Chevening’s trio of new tenants”, in The Times, London, archived from the original on 2017-01-08:

It's worth remembering all the Three Brexiteers, who campaigned to Leave, are still in place.

2017 June 11, Anoosh Chakelian, “Government reshuffle: Who’s who in Theresa May’s new team?: While attempting to cling on to power, the Prime Minister is making some new appointments”, in New Statesman, London, archived from the original on 2017-08-15:

At the moment, our future is being decided by Theresa May’s desperate attempts to remain as prime minister (and to do this she has to kowtow to the wishes of the three Brexiteers Boris Johnson, David Davis, and Jacob Rees-Mogg). The future, therefore, is not being decided by us.

2018 August 11, Athian Akec, “As a 15-year-old youth MP, I can tell you why ignoring our young people on the final Brexit deal will be a disaster”, in The Independent, London, archived from the original on 2018-08-15:

(UK politics) Usually in plural: a holder of any of the posts in the British Cabinet tasked with negotiating the country's exit from the European Union.


Bloody Code

(historical) A schedule of crimes and punishments in 19th-century England that introduced the death penalty for numerous offences.


duplicand

(Scots law) A doubling of the duty to be paid on a feu.


red box

gray-box testing
red box
white box (software engineering)

Coordinate term: dispatch box

Downing Street has rejected suggestions that David Cameron might have caused a security breach by briefly leaving his official ministerial red box unaccompanied on the table of a train carriage.

2013 September 9, Ben Quinn, “No 10 denies David Cameron red box security breach”, in The Guardian:

(UK politics) A secure briefcase-like box used by ministers in the British government to carry their documents.


Igraine

(Arthurian legend) The mother of King Arthur.


Niniane

(Arthurian legend) A priestess in Arthurian legend who succeeded Viviane as Lady of the Lake.


Cranborne money

Named after Lord Cranborne, who was leader of the House of Lords when it was introduced on 27 November 1996.

(UK politics) An annual payment made to opposition parties in the House of Lords, to help them with their costs.


Short money

Named after Edward Short (later Lord Glenamara), the leader of the House of Commons who first proposed the payments.

(UK politics) An annual payment made to opposition parties in the House of Commons, to help them with their costs.


Remainiac

Though no Remainiac, I will vote in.

2016 June 11, Rachel Johnson, “RACHEL JOHNSON: Just stop picking on my big brother! (But, sorry Boris, I'm still voting In)”, in The Daily Mail:

Nevertheless, given that my proxy vote is safely secured back in Blighty, an international festival for creativity provides perfect context to ask the question, 'If the EU referendum were a competition in branding, which camp would win?’ Who gets your branding vote, Brexiteer or Remainiac?

2016 June 23, Greg Taylor, “If the EU referendum were a competition in branding, which side would win?”, in The Drum:

2017 August 2, Chris Campbell, “What was the point? Ferrari slates Remainiac in Brexit row for trying to ruin the Proms”, in Daily Express:

Together, they’ve conquered Middle England and seen of the Remainiacs.

2017 August 14, Julia Rampen, “5 unmissable Nigel Farage scenes from Bad Boys of Brexit: The Movie”, in New Statesman:

(UK politics, slang, neologism) One who opposes the idea of Brexit and wishes the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union.


Agravain

(Arthurian legend) One of the knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend.


Thatcher effect

Named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), whose image was used as an example.

named-after

The phenomenon whereby it is more difficult to detect local feature changes in an upside-down face, despite identical changes being obvious in an upright face.


Thatcher illusion

Named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013).

optical illusion
optical illusion#English

The optical illusion resulting from the Thatcher effect.


Corbynmania

As Corbynmania took off, a paper cup he had drunk from at a rally was sold on eBay for £51.

2016, Rosa Prince, Comrade Corbyn: A Very Unlikely Coup:

Neither he, nor anyone else, had counted on 'Corbynmania' sweeping the Labour ranks as a growing base of young activists got fired up by an antiausterity message and the unassuming, authentic character promoting it.

(UK politics, neologism) Enthusiasm for Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949), British socialist politician elected leader of the Labour Party in 2015.


Brexiter

/ˈbɹɛɡzɪtə(ɹ)/

2016 February 20, Timothy Garton Ash, “Here’s how to argue with a Brexiter – and win”, in The Guardian, title:

Trump and the Tory Brexiters are cut from the same cloth.

2016 March 2, Deborah Orr, “What do Trump and Brexiters have in common? A disregard for all but themselves”, in The Guardian:

The proposal, made ahead of Thursday's crucial vote on Britain's continued EU membership, is designed to deflect accusations that Brexiters - as supporters of Britain's exit from the EU are popularly known - have used crude anti-immigrant and racist slogans to pollute the political debate during the EU referendum campaign and may have even indirectly inspired last week's murder of Mrs Jo Cox, a local opposition MP and fervent migration defender.

2016 June 21, Jonathan Eyal, “Brexiter's call for amnesty for illegals seen as a gimmick”, in The Straits Times:


11 Downing Street

(UK politics) The address of the residence in London of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom.

Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer

(UK politics, by extension, idiomatic) The title or office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

(UK politics, by extension, idiomatic) HM Treasury of the United Kingdom.


Number Eleven

11 Downing Street
11 Downing Street#English

(UK politics, colloquial) Synonym of 11 Downing Street


Johnsonism

en-noun

Johnsonism (countable and uncountable, plural Johnsonisms)

Truss won the race to replace Johnson by presenting herself as both the continuity candidate[…]and the new guard who would do away with all the boring bits of Johnsonism, such as raising taxes to pay for things.

2022 October 14, Tom McTague, “The Liz Truss Travesty Becomes Britain’s Humiliation”, in The Atlantic, retrieved 2022-10-15:

(UK politics) The ideology, doctrine and practice of former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson.


remainer

The government’s “bullish” and “macho” approach to Brexit should not stop Conservative backbenchers from tabling amendments to the crucial repeal bill, a leading Tory remainer has said.

2017 September 4, “End ‘macho’ Brexit posturing, Anna Soubry urges May”, in The Guardian:

The reason this once-devout remainer doggedly sticks to these lines is obvious: even if opinion polling suggests that residual popular belief in Brexit is now ebbing away, the Labour party has to secure the support of people who voted leave in 2016, switched from Labour to the Tories in 2019, and would supposedly greet any talk of revisiting the basics of Brexit with anger and dismay.

2023 January 1, John Harris, “The wreckage of Brexit is all around us. How long can our politicians indulge in denial?”, in The Guardian:

(UK politics) Alternative letter-case form of Remainer


Regrexit

Blend of regret + Brexit, said to have been coined on 24 June 2016 by one Carl Gardner in a Twitter post (see quotations) following the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum on 23 June 2016.

Labour has one chance now. To emerge within weeks as Britain's centrist "Regrexit Unionist" party. If it did that, even I might forgive it.

2016 June 24, Carl Gardner (@carlgardner), Twitter, archived from the original on 2016-11-02:

There are leave voters who confessed to reporters that they never thought their side would actually win, that their vote had only ever been intended as a protest, presumed to be safe because surely everyone else would vote the other way. […] A Twitter user came up with a new coinage for this rapid form of buyer's remorse: Regrexit. […] When some of those leave voters see that Brexit has not brought back the good jobs of old, that housing is still in desperately short supply and that a migrant family still lives round the corner, the Regrexit sentiment will grow.

2016 June 24, Jonathan Freedland, “For the 48%, this was a day of despair: Soon we will become little Britain. The signs of Regrexit are cold comfort for those of us who voted to remain.”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 2016-09-13, subtitle:

From reports, the UK is moving rapidly from Brexit to Regrexit.

2016 June 26, Abhidevananda <abhide...@sarkarverse.org>, “Re: Brexit”, in uk.philosophy.humanism (Usenet), message-ID <t9ybz.34812$LR2.4319@fx26.fr7>:

In the spirit of Brexit, these attitudes even have their own media-friendly nickname: Bregret or Regrexit.

2016 June 27, Adam Taylor, “Bregret? Regrexit? Don't bet on it.”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 2016-10-06:

There were many reasons for the Leave vote, and Regrexit is now gaining momentum.

2016 June 29, Anna Wallis, “Brexit lessons here”, in Wanganui Chronicle:

Within a few days, petitions to re-do the vote emerged with more than four million signatures, known as 'Regrexit.'

2017, Markus M.L. Crepaz, European Democracies, Routledge, →ISBN:

There's a chance, especially with the 'Regrexit' sentiment surfacing, that the U.K. will still be part of the EU in two years.

2018, Victor O. Okocha, Leadership and Development Crises in Africa: A New Approach to an Old Challenge, Dorrance Publishing, →ISBN, page 234:

(UK politics) A feeling of regret about Brexit taking place, or about having voted for it.


UKIPer

A supporter or member of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party)


Defra

For Defra, funding for flood defences and disease prevention are likely to be protected.

2015 November 11, Emma Howard, “Defra hit by largest budget cuts of any UK government department, analysis shows”, in The Guardian:

w:Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

(UK politics) Initialism of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


DfE

Department for Education
w:Department for Education

(UK, education, UK politics) Initialism of Department for Education.


double-jobbing

(UK politics) The act of holding two or more political offices simultaneously.


Corbynista

[…]although it was just as often dismissed: what use were a group of cultish, Trotskyist-infused Corbynista clicktivists, hopelessly out of touch with normal people, when it came to the crunch?

2017 June 1, Rachel Shabi, “What use is a group of cultish, Corbynista clicktivists? Quite a lot, actually”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

“In 2020 you told me to my face that you would ‘inspire people to come together … disciplining people to be united is going nowhere’. You’ve broken that promise,” said Driscoll, often described as “the last Corbynista in power” since becoming the first mayor for North of Tyne in 2019.

2023 July 17, Ben Quinn, “Jamie Driscoll quits Labour after snub in north-east mayor race”, in The Guardian:

“That is irritating the left of the Labour Party, so the more Corbynista/Momentum members want the Labour party to go much further in helping renters in a pushing back against Conservatives.”

2023 September 13, Anna Sagar, “Housing will not be priority for Labour or Conservatives going into next election, expert says”, in MortgageSolutions.co.uk:

(UK politics, informal) A supporter of British politician Jeremy Corbyn.


compearance

compearance (countable and uncountable, plural compearances)

(Scots law) Appearance before a judge in court.


Accalon

(Arthurian legend) The lover of Morgan le Fay.


Remoaner

I am an unapologetic Remoaner, who regards Brexit as an unparalleled disaster.

2018 January 4, David Millward, “Even I, a snowflake Remoaner, feel it's about time we honoured Nigel Farage”, in Daily Telegraph:

Today, the Sun launches Remoaner Watch – starting with leading figures from the world of politics and the media (plus the entire BBC) for whom a love of all things EU still burns bright.

2022 June 18, Grant Rollings, “The Sun’s Remoaner Watch is on the lookout for evidence of Remoanery”, in The Sun:

For others, it’s the Blob or the “remoaner elite”, made up of the civil service, the BBC, the universities, the unions: anyone who, along with desperate refugees in small boats, can be blamed for standing between Britain and the promised Brexit nirvana.

2023 May 19, Jonathan Freedland, “They’re openly saying it: Brexit has failed. But what comes next may be very dark indeed”, in The Guardian:

2023 September 11, David Maddox, “Remoaner group who handed out EU flags at BBC Proms named and shamed after funding plea”, in Daily Express:

(UK politics, derogatory) A Remainer; one who complains about or rejects the outcome of the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union.


Remainer

During the years following the EU referendum, Brexiters and Remainers both claimed him as their own.

2021, Otto English, Fake History, page 39:

(UK politics) Someone who supports the United Kingdom remaining within the European Union.


hard Brexit

Without question now, Britain is not ready for the negotiations, having spent the past year largely avoiding a real debate on the topic, other than a vague argument over the merits of a “hard Brexit” (as a clean break from the European Union is known), versus a “soft Brexit,” which would require more compromise.

2017 June 9, Steven Erlanger, Katrin Benhold, Stephen Castle, “The British Election That Somehow Made Brexit Even Harder”, in The New York Times:

Büsingen was mentioned amid talk of Britain following the example of Switzerland: outside the EU but with access to its single market through bilateral agreements that accept, among other things, freedom of movement for EU citizens. That all ended abruptly when British prime minister Theresa May steered the UK towards a hard Brexit, promising to prune back EU ties to a minimum to ensure maximum domestic control over borders.

2017 June 23, Derek Scally, “What can the North learn from a small German-Swiss town?”, in The Irish Times:

The hard Brexit case that leaving the customs union need not harm British industry, agriculture, distribution and commerce has been overwhelmingly dismissed by all these areas of the economy.

2019 March 11, Simon Jenkins, “If May loses Tuesday’s Brexit vote, she must back a customs union or go”, in The Guardian:

(UK politics) The withdrawal of the United Kingdom both from the European Union and from European institutions (e.g. the European single market or the European Union Customs Union).


soft Brexit

The debate over the right terms and conditions for Britain’s departure from the European Union is often simplified into two clashing concepts: a soft Brexit and a hard one. The first tends to be favoured by those who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, the second by those who voted Leave. Yet what is the real, practical difference between the two? And can bits of both be combined to some degree?

2018 June 25, J. P., “How a soft Brexit differs from a hard one”, in The Economist:

Labour's vision for a soft Brexit would have seen Britain remain closely aligned with the EU customs, tariff and regulatory regimes and the continent's single market. Such a relationship would have meant that Britain would continue to allow EU migrants to live and work in the United Kingdom, while withdrawing from the EU legislature.

2019 February 28, William Booth, Karla Adam, “UK Parliament votes down Labour's bid for a soft Brexit”, in New Zealand Herald:

(UK politics) The (hypothetical) withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union while generally remaining in European institutions (e.g. the European single market or customs union).


Bremainer

2016 August 2, Hayley Kirton, “Bremainer and Brexiteer team up to bolster British businesses”, in City A.M.:

The only question I am hearing wherever I go at the moment – apart from, ‘Have you been sacked from Top Gear yet for only getting nine million viewers a week?’ – is, are you a Brexiteer or a Bremainer? Are you in or out?

2016 June 11, Chris Evans, “BMW’s new mini monster is here. Get set for some... M-azing pace!”, in The Daily Mail:

(UK politics) Someone in favour of Britain remaining within the European Union.


Westminster bubble

Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament

(UK politics, derogatory) The collective group of Members of Parliament, civil servants, lobbyists, etc., seen as out of touch with the realities of life outside Parliament.


Westminster village

Westminster bubble
Westminster bubble#English

(UK politics, derogatory) Synonym of Westminster bubble


Betsygate

(informal, UK politics) A 2004 controversy around allegations that former United Kingdom Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith had put his wife Betsy on his payroll, without her doing any work.


Bigotgate

(informal, UK politics) A 2010 controversy that arose when British prime minister Gordon Brown was accidentally recorded calling a party supporter a bigot.


Donnygate

(informal, UK politics) A political scandal of the 1990s involving expenses fraud by councillors in Doncaster, United Kingdom.


Traingate

The train company did not breach data protection law for publishing the clip during the so-called traingate controversy.

2017 July 12, Katie Mansfield, “Virgin Trains cleared of rumbling Jeremy Corbyn with traingate CCTV clip”, in Daily Express:

(informal, UK politics) A 2016 controversy around a video of the politician Jeremy Corbyn sitting on the floor of a supposedly crowded train, which Corbyn used in support of his policy to reverse the 1990s privatization of British railways. Later, CCTV images were released that appeared to show Corbyn walking past available seats, leading to accusations that the incident had been staged for political gain.


Taxigate

(informal, UK politics) A 2005 scandal in which David McLetchie, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, was found to have claimed thousands of pounds in taxi expenses, some for party business rather than parliament business.


Leaver

(UK politics) Someone who supports Brexit, the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.


Brexodus

2016 June 29, Bloomberg, “Vodafone mulls London HQ move in Brexodus”, in Irish TImes:

2016 July 2, Márton Hoványi, Ádám Sághy, “Brexit or Brexodus. The theological evaluation of the Brexit”, in Shekinah Research Institute for Theology - Kötőszó, archived from the original on 2021-01-31:

Brexodus fears: Banks may leave London after the vote, it was claimed

2016 October 11, Nicholas Cecil, Pippa Crerar, “Fears grow of bank Brexodus from the City as pound slumps”, in Evening Standard:

So the Brexodus will also include skilled locals, who know they too are better off working in an environment that provides them with opportunities rather than constraints.

2016 November 10, Timothy Devinney, “Brexodus: the world’s highly skilled have options other than the UK”, in TES:

2017 August 7, Lucy McNulty, “City of London urges government to stop Brexodus”, in Financial Times:

(UK politics) The departure of people or companies from the UK due to Brexit.


surau

From Malay surau, possibly from Sanskrit सुरौकस् (suraukas, “abode of the gods”).

musalla

a room where Muslims pray, aside from a mosque

The men's surau can be found at the left of the clock store.

(Islam, Malaysia) A small room in any public place where Muslims pray.


IFS

At the IFS, they laboured in vain to bring the nation’s attention back to the real economic news, which wasn’t the budget so much as the tax and benefit changes set to kick in next month: […]

2017 March 13, Zoe Williams, “Cuts are a feminist issue. So what would a suffragette do?”, in The Guardian:

Institute for Fiscal Studies
w:Institute for Fiscal Studies

(UK politics, economics) Initialism of Institute for Fiscal Studies: an economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom, which specialises in UK taxation and public policy.


spirit house

About two metres high, the Spirit House is a small model temple that most Thais have in the garden.

2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, page 50:

(Southeast Asia) A small house- or temple-like structure mounted on a pillar at which offerings are made to a local deity or protective spirit.


Scotch verdict

From its use in the Scottish legal system.

(Scots law, criminal law, dated) A verdict of "not proven".

Scots law; criminal law; Scots law; criminal law


another place

(UK politics, In the House of Commons) the House of Lords.

House of Commons
House of Commons#English

(UK politics, In the House of Lords) the House of Commons.


Matter of Britain

The body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain, and sometimes Brittany, and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur.


Brexshit

Blend of Brexit + shit, perhaps in reference to bullshit (“statements that are false or exaggerated to impress or cheat the listener”).

My modest proposal is to construct a set of your own Brexshit bingo cards.

2016 June 16, AFP, “How to call bullshit on EU referendum campaign claims”, in New Statesman:

Demonstrators hold a banner reading "This is Brexshit" during a protest near Britain's embassy in Berlin on July 2, 2016.

2016 July 2, AFP, “Anti-Brexit protesters march in London”, in Express Tribune:

(UK politics, derogatory, vulgar) Brexit.


kovil

Transliteration of Tamil கோவில் (kōvil, “King's residence, temple”). See also Malay kuil.

translit

Aruna went to the Pittsburgh Perumal kovil yesterday.

Though Sri Lanka is predominantly a Buddhist country there are a number of churches, kovils and mosques dotting the towns and countryside.

2004, H. M. Mervyn Herath, Colonial Kollupitiya and Its Environs, page 94:

(Hinduism) A Hindu temple built in a distinct style of Dravidian architecture.


Iron Lady

On the lawn of the White House, with the Iron Lady beside him, Reagan may have pledged that Britain and the USA would 'stand side by side' in defending freedom -- just so long as it was on US terms.

2003, David Powell, Tony Benn New Edition, →ISBN, page 159:

On 16 October 1998, twenty-five years after he left the presidential palace in Santiago to tell the world the story of the Chilean Revolution, Joan Garcés sent to the Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón a petition asking for the urgent questioning of General Augusto Pinochet, who was preparing to leave London after a back operation and afternoon tea with his admirer, ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Over tea and scones, an older Pinochet told the Iron Lady that opinion polls predicted that Chile could have its first socialist president since 1973.

2013, Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, Story of a Death Foretold: The Coup Against Salvador Allende, 11 September 1973, →ISBN, page 376:

Using the metaphor of metalurgy he had deployed in the epic parliamentary debate at the start of the war, he rose at Prime Minister's Questions on 17 June to remind the House how he had predicted that the Falklands crisis should determine what metal the Iron Lady was made of.

2013, Jonathan Aitken, Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality, →ISBN, page 372:

In March 1981, she was put to the test for the first time: Bobby Sands (1954-1981), an Irish republican prisoner, and his comrades began a hunger strike in order to obtain the status of political prisoners, thus showing their desire to receive better treatment. But the Iron Lady remained unmoved and ignored their request.

2017, Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady, →ISBN:

A nickname given to various female leaders, indicating that they are strong-willed and unyielding.


Maybot

From May + -bot. Popularised by John Crace for political sketches published since November 8th 2016.

Whirr. Clunk. Clang. The Maybot’s eyes rotated into life.

2016 November 8, John Crace, “Theresa struggles to take back control – from her own Maybot”, in The Guardian:

Theresa Villiers, the former Northern Ireland Secretary, sacked in the Maybot takeover, sported a vacuous grin throughout the whole mechanical exercise, confirming perhaps that the election chip had been successfully inserted.

2017 May 8, Michael Settle, “Election sketch: the Maybot repeats herself - strong and stable leadership; me not him”, in The Herald Scotland:

Her campaign team seemed to have found a patch for the Maybot.

2017 June 3, Andrew Rawnsley, “The Maybot and Monsieur Zen. A drama that didn’t obey the script”, in The Guardian:

2018 November 21, Brian Smith, letter to the editor in "‘Queue-jumping’ comment reveals the Tories’ moral vacuum", The Guardian.
The perils of AI decision-making incorporating false assumptions is nicely illustrated by the Maybot’s latest output: EU citizens will no longer be able to “jump the queue ahead of ... software developers from Delhi”.

(UK politics, derogatory, humorous) A nickname for Theresa May.


not proven

There was a time that the only verdicts a jury could return were proven or not proven. While the verdict of proven has long since been replaced, that of not proven has survived the test of time.

2014, Francis Pakes, Comparative Criminal Justice, page 12:

(Scots law) Having insufficient evidence to prove guilt or innocence under Scots law.


Alliance

(UK politics, historical) The alliance in the 1980s between the SDP and the Liberal Party, precursor of the Liberal Democrats.


Lexiteer

/ˈlɛksɪtɪəɹ/

A counterweight to the anti-immigrant fear mongering of the former leader of the right-wing U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, Lexiteers argued a left-wing, democratic and internationalist case for Brexit.

2017 March 28, Alan Johnson, “Why Brexit Is Best for Britain: The Left-Wing Case”, in New York Times:

(UK politics) A leftist supporter of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union; a left-wing Brexiteer.


DExEU

Asked to respond to reports of ministers now being forced to consider a trade-off, the DExEU spokesman said they “did not recognise the language”.

(UK politics) The Department for Exiting the European Union.


Kipper

en-noun

Kipper (countable and uncountable, plural Kippers)

A supporter or member of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party).


Young England

(UK politics, historical) A Victorian group of young Tory politicians who opposed free trade and radicalism and professed a sentimental attachment to earlier forms of social life in England.


compearant

(Scots law) A person who appears in court.


Blajorism

He added: ‘Commentators say that the Tories and Labour have merged in the middle into Blajorism but that is far too kind to Labour. Blair is adrift in a sea of fudge.’

1994 September 23, John Arlidge, The Independent:

New Labour leader Tony Blair was described as an advocate of ‘Blajorism’ in recognition of Labour's policy similarities with Major's Conservatives.

2002, Peter Lynch, SNP: The History of the Scottish National Party, page 216:

In short, the characters played by Robert Carlyle had been disenfranchised by the political rush for the centre ground of Blajorism.

2013, Alwyn W. Turner, A Classless Society, Aurum Press, published 2014, page 449:

(UK politics) The policies of Conservative Prime Minister John Major and his successor, the Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, seen as representing one indistinguishable social and economic outlook.


Westlandgate

(UK, slang) A 1985 controversy around government plans to bail out the helicopter company Westland.


hounfour

A stretch of straw mats is laid on the ground leading from the door of the hounfor.

1953, Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen, McPherson & Company, published 2004, page 47:

I arrived around ten and was taken into the peristyle, the roofed court of the hounfour, and was led around a semicircle of tables to the one where Beauvoir sat at the head.

1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 47:

In the afternoon, Magda and I went out to purchase some gifts: perfume for Ezili and a bottle of rum for the ounfò.

1995, Marilyn Houlberg, in Cosentino (ed.), Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, South Sea International Press 1998, p. 276

Because her Western science has failed to restore Jessica to health, Betsy secretly takes her charge to see the houngan priest at the hounfour for help.

2011, Kyle William Bishop, American Zombie Gothic, page 88:


sekos

In this last-mentioned chamber there is a central doorway, leading to the holy recess, or sekos; and two other doorways also communicate with the two ends of a gallery which runs round the sekos.

1854, Jamees Talboys Wheeler, The geography of Herodotus, page 371:

(historical) A sacred enclosure, sanctuary or cella in an ancient Greek temple.


SAO

SAO (countable and uncountable, plural SAOs)

Specified Associated Organisation
w:Specified Associated Organisation

(UK politics) Initialism of Specified Associated Organisation.


cakeism

From cake + -ism, referring to have one's cake and eat it too.

What is now known as “cakeism” – the idea that the UK can have everything it wants merely because it wants it – is becoming, like climate-change denial, the subject of rational discussion.

2017, The New European, "The delusions of Cakeism", Bonnie Greer, 15 September 2017

The letter is the latest blatant example of British cakeism.

2018, The Guardian, "David Davis's petulant leaked letter is the latest slice of Brexit cakeism", Jonathan Lis, 10 January 2018

The government has adopted Johnson's notorious attitude to cake – wanting to have it and to eat it – and made cakeism its defining creed.

2021, The Guardian, "The dishonesty of Boris Johnson has finally infected the entire government", Jonathan Freedland, 19 November 2021

Cakeism is not a formula that works in government because, in reality, the cake has to be rationed and people notice.

2021, The Guardian, "The Tories said we could have our cake and eat it – now they are stuffed and voters are hungry", Rafael Behr, 22 December 2021

"Cakeism" has run riot — vast, incoherent ambitions detached from political, economic and business realities.

2022, The Guardian, "Brexit legacy is just the start of incoming PM's problems as cost of living crisis spirals", Will Hutton, 10 July 2022

having one's cake and eating it too
have one's cake and eat it too

(UK politics) The doctrine of having one's cake and eating it too, particularly regarding the UK’s approach to Brexit negotiations and subsequent deliberations.


Pestminster

Those following what has been dubbed “Pestminster” may nevertheless struggle to keep up with the Byzantine internal reporting structures, the range of accusations being levied and the sheer number of MPs involved.

2017 3 November, Julia Rampen, “A week in Pestminster”, in New Statesman:

Activists turned Westminster into “Pestminster” today to highlight a perceived lack of action over Parliament’s sexual harassment scandal.

2018 26 October, Kate Proctor, Ella Wills, “The next station is now Pestminster”, in Evening Standard:

It’s shocking that two years after the ‘Pestminster’ scandal, female MPs are fleeing politics.

2019 31 October, Catherine Mayer, “It’s shocking that two years after the ‘Pestminster’ scandal, female MPs are fleeing politics”, in The Telegraph:

(UK, informal) A scandal involving sexual harassment by members of the British parliament.


God's house

From Middle English Goddes hous, goddes hous. Compare Dutch godshuis, German Gotteshaus.


habit and repute

marriage by habit and repute

(Scots law) The condition of being notorious enough to afford strong and generally conclusive evidence of something.


Eustonite

(rare, UK politics) Someone who has signed or otherwise supports the Euston Manifesto; a liberal or leftist who supports a neoconservative foreign policy.


testing clause

(Scots law) The last clause in a Scottish deed, which narrates when and where the parties signed the deed, before what witnesses, by whose hand written, etc.


Pendragon

It befell in the days of Uther Pendragon, when he was king of all England, and so reigned, that there was a mighty duke in Cornwall that held war against him long time.

1485, Thomas Malory, chapter 1, in Le Morte D'Arthur, book I:

(Arthurian legend) An epithet of Uther, the father of King Arthur.

At last he got his breath and answer'd, 'One, / One have I seen—that other, our liege lord, / The dread Pendragon, Britain's king of kings, / Of whom the people talk mysteriously, / He will be there—then were I stricken blind / That minute, I might say that I have seen.'

1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 169:

(Arthurian legend) An epithet or surname of King Arthur.


Beast from the East

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Beast from the East.wav

Blizzards, strong winds, drifting snow and bitter cold have caused death and disruption as the weather system nicknamed the “Beast from the East” combined with storm Emma to create some of the most testing weather experienced in the UK for years.

2018 March 2, Steven Morris, Matthew Weaver, Nadia Khomami, “Beast from the East meets storm Emma, causing UK's worst weather in years”, in The Guardian:

Britain is facing a new Beast from the East in what could be one of the coldest winters in 30 years, climate experts say.

2019 September 8, Chiara Giordano, “UK weather forecast: Britain faces new Beast from the East in what could be one of coldest winters in 30 years”, in The Independent:

But today's weather is nothing compared to this time two years ago, when the Beast from the East hit.

2020 February 27, Rebecca Tuffin, “Snow falls exactly two years after the Beast from the East hit Kent”, in Kent Online:

A wave of unusually cold temperatures in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2018

2018 Great Britain and Ireland cold wave


Bliar

(derogatory, UK politics) A pejorative nickname for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, usually in reference to his support for the Iraq War.


dittay

From Old French ditté, from Latin dictatum.


Brexity

en-adj

Brexity (comparative more Brexity, superlative most Brexity)

more Brexity (comparative)
most Brexity (superlative)

It feels a bit Brexity: a pained cry from the past, “We want our Shakespearean canon back!”

2016 October 26, David Greig, “Emma Rice’s exit from Shakespeare’s Globe feels a bit Brexity”, in New Statesman:

It is a society that has evolved separately from Britain’s mainland and its Anglican beliefs, but it looks like an alternative reality of fiercely insular, irrational England. Is there anything more Brexity than this?

2018 June 7, Peter Bradshaw, “The scariest horror films ever – ranked!”, in The Guardian:

She doesn't admit that I'm right — she has been distracted by a woman she has seen out of the window, limping out from a Brexity pub called The Dame's Garter with a vape dangling from her puckered lips […]

(UK, informal) Characteristic of Brexit, or the attitudes thought to underlie it; parochial, jingoistic.


imambara

From Urdu اِمام باڑا (imām bāṛā) or اِمام باڑَہ (imām bāṛa).

bor

Urdu اِمام باڑا (imām bāṛā)

In South Asia, a congregation hall for Shiites to mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali in the month of Muharram; a husayniyya.


Lib Dems

(UK politics, informal) The Liberal Democrats.


summary diligence

(Scots law) The process by which execution may proceed without the need of further application to the court, in the case of bonds and other instruments registered for execution.


Blue Labour

It doesn't take a genius to see that its hostility towards statism, in the context of economic crisis and austerity, could provide useful ideological cover for an assault on welfare. Blue Labour thinking, here, converges seamlessly with Cameron's “big society”.

2011 May 21, Ed Rooksby, “Don't underestimate toxic Blue Labour”, in The Guardian:

(UK politics) A political tendency advocating the belief that working-class voters will be won back to Labour through socially conservative ideas on certain issues.


party opponent

en-noun

party opponent (plural parties opponent)

(Church of England) A party who opposes the grant of a faculty for the alteration of a church.


Claíomh Solais

From Irish Claíomh Solais (literally “Sword of Light”).

bor

(Irish mythology) The "Sword of Light", one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann which belonged to Núadu.


benefit of inventory

(Scots law) A legal privilege whereby an heir secured himself against unlimited liability for his ancestor, by giving up within the annus deliberandi an inventory of his heritage or real estate, which then represented the maximum extent to which he was liable.


Chequers agreement

Named after Chequers, the country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, where the white paper was formulated.

(informal) A white paper published in July 2018 outlining the relationship the UK was seeking with the European Union after Brexit.


Chequers plan

A letter to the Sunday Telegraph signed by more than 30 Tory association chairmen complaining that the prime minister’s Chequers plan “does not deliver the Brexit that we, as Conservatives, promised”.

2018 September 30, Matthew d'Ancona, “The Tories are a party in crisis, their identity in desperate shape”, in The Guardian:

Chequers agreement
Chequers agreement#English


cessio bonorum

(Scots law, historical) Before 1880, a debtor's surrender of his estate to his creditors in return for a judicial protection from imprisonment for his debts.


put to the horn

en-verb

put to the horn (third-person singular simple present puts to the horn, present participle putting to the horn, simple past and past participle put to the horn)

puts to the horn (present singular third-person)
putting to the horn (participle present)
put to the horn (participle past)
put to the horn (past)

(transitive, Scots law, historical) To outlaw (a person) by three blasts of the horn at the Cross of Edinburgh.


desert the diet

desert the diet (third-person singular simple present deserts the diet, present participle deserting the diet, simple past and past participle deserted the diet)

deserts the diet (present singular third-person)
deserting the diet (participle present)
deserted the diet (participle past)
deserted the diet (past)

(Scots law, historical) To abandon criminal proceedings under a particular libel.


Winstonian

en-adj

Winstonian (comparative more Winstonian, superlative most Winstonian)

more Winstonian (comparative)
most Winstonian (superlative)


ultimus haeres

From Latin ultimus haeres (“ultimate heir”).

(Scots law) The process whereby the estate of a deceased person with no will or traceable blood relatives goes to the Crown.


regalia minora

(Scots law) Things that inherently belong to the sovereign but may be conveyed to a subject.


regalia majora

(Scots law) Things that inherently belong to the sovereign and are inseparable from his or her person.


catholic creditor

en-noun

catholic creditor (plural catholic creditors)

(Scots law) A creditor whose debt is secured over several or the whole subjects belonging to the debtor, e.g. over two or more heritable estates.


fugitation

fugitation (countable and uncountable, plural fugitations)

(Scots law) The act of absconding from justice; outlawry.


Treasury Bench

(UK politics) The front bench in the House of Commons.


Fireside Poets

(UK, historical) A school of 19th century New England poets, often characterized as including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.


God-Save-the-Kinger

The Bill does not deal with Germans only, it deals with all aliens, including those whom our friends opposite – the flag-waggers, the band players, the God-save-the-Kingers — spoke of as “our brother Allies.”

1920, Australia. Parliament, Parliamentary Debates: Senate and House of Representatives:

Protestants, generally speaking, were God-save-the-Kingers and went to Mass in the afternoon or the night instead of in the morning.

1972, James Plunkett, The Gems She Wore: A Book of Irish Places, page 35:

But the situation is not without its humorous side; it is delightful to listen to the former red-white-and-blue people -- the bigoted Unionists-- the erstwhile 'God Save the Kingers', expressing their views on the present régime.

1979, Dervla Murphy, Wheels Within Wheels, page 29:

(derogatory) An outspoken supporter of the British Government when the monarch is a king.


approbate and reprobate

en-verb

approbate and reprobate (third-person singular simple present approbates and reprobates, present participle approbating and reprobating, simple past and past participle approbated and reprobated)

approbates and reprobates (present singular third-person)
approbating and reprobating (participle present)
approbated and reprobated (participle past)
approbated and reprobated (past)

(Scots law) To accept and reject the same deed or instrument (which is not permitted).


Nimuë

(Arthurian legend) either as the Lady of the Lake, or the wizardess lover of Merlin (and sometimes rival to Morgaine)


shy Tory

(UK politics) A person who intends to vote for the Conservative Party but who does not reveal this fact when polled.


washup

(UK politics, slang) The period prior to dissolution of parliament, in which any remaining bills are quickly pushed through or else abandoned.


oath of calumny

en-noun

oath of calumny (plural oaths of calumny)

(Scots law, historical) A method for the prevention of calumnious and unnecessary suits, by which both parties at the beginning of a cause swear, either by themselves or their counsel, that the facts set forth by them are true.


art and part

Art refers to the contrivance of a plan, and part to being involved in carrying it out.

(Scots law) The aiding or abetting in the perpetration of a crime.


Alsatia

Named for the region of Alsace, a region outside legislative and juridical lines. More at Alsatia.

Whitefriars, adjacent to the Temple, then well known by the cant name of Alsatia, had at this time, and for nearly a century afterwards, the privilege of a sanctuary[.]

1822, Sir Walter Scott, chapter XVI, in The Fortunes of Nigel, Edinburgh:

Maggie always appeared in the most amiable light at her aunt Moss’s; it was her Alsatia, where she was out of the reach of law[.]

1860, George Eliot, chapter VIII, in The Mill on the Floss, Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons:

(historical, slang) An area lying north of London's River Thames, once privileged as a sanctuary and thus known as a refuge for criminals. It spanned from the Whitefriars monastery to the south of the west end of Fleet Street and adjacent to the Temple.


casualty of superiority

casualty of superiority (plural casualties of superiority)

(Scots law, historical) In the feudal law of Scotland, any emolument arising to the superior depending on uncertain events: those of nonentry, relief or composition, and escheat alone remaining, but considerably modified by the Conveyancing Act of 1874.


Corbynomics

The trouble is, the choice is a dismal one. If you think Corbynomics is wacky, take a look at Trumponomics.

2015 December 15, Matthew Lynn, "Whoever wins the US presidency, the economy is going to be the loser", The Daily Telegraph

Piecing together Corbynomics is difficult, not least because it has evolved during Mr Corbyn’s time in charge of Labour. The gulf between the Labour leadership’s past positions and the milder proposals in the manifesto means that enormous uncertainty hangs over what a Corbyn-led government would do in office.

2018 May 17, “Corbynomics would change Britain—but not in the way most people think”, in The Economist:

The Labour leadership’s calculation is that Corbynomics couched in these terms – as a fiscal remedy to social ills - is a proposition the public agrees with. May’s faltering performance will only boost their confidence.

2019 March 6, Patrick Maguire, “The Conservatives are losing on knife crime, and three other lessons from this week’s PMQs”, in New Statesman:

(UK politics) The economic ideas and policies of British politician Jeremy Corbyn.


usual channels

(UK politics) Communication channels between the government and the main opposition party, used to discuss matters pertaining to the business of parliament.


riding interest

riding interest (plural riding interests)

(Scots law) An interest that depends on another interest.


devale

From Sinhalese දේවාලය (dēwālaya), from Sanskrit देवालय (devālaya).

Both the Maligava and the devales are administered by chief temple officials and their deputies, the services during the festival from providing supplies and decorations to participation in the processions are performed by temple tenants who hold temple lands (vihāragam and dēvālagam) in lieu of their rājakāriya (lit. "king's work," in this case temple service).

1972, Hans Dieter Evers, Monks, Priests and Peasants: A Study of Buddhism and Social Structure in Central Ceylon:

Worshippers at the devale would hand over a small offering of betel and incense sticks to the kapurala and tell him their problems.

1992, Piya Tan, Buddhist currents: a brief social analysis of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Siam, →OCLC:


Corbynism

Two accounts of Corbynism – by journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire and the Guardian’s Owen Jones – unpick Labour’s rapid descent from the optimism of ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn’ to landslide defeat at the polls[.]

2020 September 13, John Harris, “Left Out: The Inside Story of Labour Under Corbyn; This Land: The Story of a Movement - review”, in The Observer, →ISSN:

Corbynism was as hopeful as it was hopeless. From his 2015 leadership election victory to the following general election, it offered a screen on to which people, tired of both technocratic and insipid New Labour wannabies and austerity, projected their hopes and fears. People queued round the block to hear him speak and then voted for him in droves.

2022 June 8, Neal Lawson, “Keir Starmer, you have a golden opportunity. Now try a bit of Corbynism”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(UK politics) The political philosophy exemplified by Jeremy Corbyn of the British Labour Party, characterised by antiausterity and renationalization policies.


Lib-Lab

(UK politics, historical) A Liberal candidate who was financially maintained by trade unions and supposed to represent the working classes.


Liberal Party

Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats#English

(UK politics) The predecessor of the Liberal Democrats


Brexit Party

(UK politics) A British single-issue trans-European political party of the European Parliament dedicated to extracting Great Britain from the European Union


EHRC

Equality and Human Rights Commission
w:Equality and Human Rights Commission

(UK politics) Initialism of Equality and Human Rights Commission.


poor's roll

(Scots law, historical) The list of poor people who are litigants, but unable to pay the expenses of litigation, and therefore allowed to sue in forma pauperis.


base right

(Scots law, historical) The right which a disposer acquires when disposing of feudal property.


lawburrows

(Scots law) A writ requiring a person to give security against doing violence to another.


indy-curious

/ˌɪndiˈkjʊəɹɪəs/

(UK politics) Interested in the possibility of independence (for Wales), without necessarily being in favour of it.


personal exception

(Scots law) A ground of objection that applies to an individual and prevents them from doing something which, except for their conduct or situation, they would be allowed to do.


service of an heir

(Scots law) A proceeding before a jury to determine the heir of a deceased person.


Backstop

(UK) A proposed seamless border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the event of Brexit.


Bristol pound

(UK, historical) A local currency (not legal tender) in Bristol, England, tied to the pound sterling, introduced in 2012 to promote local business and retired in 2021. Symbol £B.


Glorious Revolution

1964, Michael G. Hall, Lawrence H. Leder, Michael Kammen, Prologue, The Glorious Revolution in America: Documents on the Colonial Crisis of 1689, Institute of Early American History and Culture, University of North Carolina Press, page 4,
In 1688 New York and New Jersey were added to the Dominion of New England, and there is evidence that Pennsylvania and even Maryland were to be next. But before these imperial plans could mature, James II was toppled from the throne by the Glorious Revolution.

2007, Nick Harding, Hanover and the British Empire, 1700-1837, Boydell & Brewer (The Boydell Press), page 15,
Britain's union with Hanover was made possible by the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

The defection of the old 'country' Whigs paved the way for the prominence of a new generation of Whigs after 1690 (the Junto Whigs), whose views and attitudes were considerably different from those Whigs who had served their political apprenticeship before the Glorious Revolution.

2012, Barry Coward, The Stuart Age: England, 1603-1714, 4th edition, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), page 367:

(historical, British history) The 1688 deposition of James II as King of England and Ireland and (as James VII) of Scotland and his subsequent replacement by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband William III (II of Scotland).

光榮革命 /光荣革命

1688 deposition and replacement of James II and VII

(historical, Spanish history) The 1888 revolution that resulted in the deposition of Queen Isabella II of Spain.


Tartan Tory

Compound of tartan (“distinctive pattern of cloth used by a Scottish clan”) + Tory (“Conservative”).

compound

(Scotland, UK politics, somewhat dated) A member or supporter of the Scottish National Party, connoting sentimentality or old-fashionedness.


Stormont

The proposal requires Stormont to approve the special arrangements for Northern Ireland to remain aligned with the EU before the end of the transition period and every four years after that.

2019 October 3, Lisa O'Carroll, “What are the concerns over Stormont's role in proposed Brexit deal?”, in The Guardian:

Downing Street hopes the package, combined with parallel negotiations with the DUP over post-Brexit trading arrangements, will persuade the DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, to restore Stormont after almost two years of political stasis.

2023 December 11, Rory Carroll, Ben Quinn, “Northern Irish leaders offered £2.5bn package in bid to revive Stormont”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly

(metonymically, UK politics) The Northern Ireland Assembly.


Tory Party

(UK politics, historical) Any of several centre-right groupings that historically existed in the UK Parliament between 1678 and the 1800s. Members of the Tory Party founded the modern Conservative Party.

Mr Cleverly, the Chairman of the Tory Party, hit out at Philip Hammond following his announcement to not stand as Conservative MP in the December 12 election.

2019 November 5, Claire Anderson, “James Cleverly savages Philip Hammond's reasons for leaving Tory party as 'wrong'”, in The Express:

Following Theresa May’s departure, Tory party candidates running for prime minister appeared to agree that an investigation into the problem was needed, only to backtrack and give the nod instead to an investigation into all types of “prejudice and discrimination, including antisemitism.”

2019 November 18, Mobashra Tazamal, “I've been researching Islamophobia for years – don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t an epidemic within the Tory party”, in The Independent:

British Conservative Party
w:Conservative Party (UK)

(UK politics) Synonym of the British Conservative Party


United Kingdom Independence Party

UK Independence Party
UK Independence Party#English

(UK politics) Alternative form of UK Independence Party.


Article 50

Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty sets out how an EU country might voluntarily leave the union. The wording is vague, almost as if the drafters thought it unlikely it would ever come into play.

2016 June 25, Jennifer Rankin, Julian Borger, Mark Rice-Oxley, “What is article 50 and why is it so central to the Brexit debate?”, in The Guardian:

The Scottish cross-bench peer who wrote Article 50 - the procedure by which the UK would leave the EU - believed it was "not irrevocable". In a BBC interview, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard said the UK could choose to stay in the EU even after exit negotiations had begun.

2016 November 3, Glenn Campbell, “Article 50 author Lord Kerr says Brexit not inevitable”, in BBC News:

Today, therefore, I am writing to give effect to the democratic decision of the people of the United Kingdom. I hereby notify the European Council in accordance with Article 50 (2) of the Treaty on European Union of the United Kingdom’s intention to withdraw from the European Union.

2017 March 29, Theresa May, Theresa May’s Letter Invoking Article 50:

If the Liberal Democrats were to secure a majority in December, they would revoke Article 50, cancelling Brexit.

2019 November 24, Stephen Wynn-Davies, “Hastings and Rye candidates outline their stances on Brexit”, in The Hastings Observer:

(European politics) Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon which holds the EU's exit clause, allowing and setting out rules for countries leaving the European Union.