Gleek

I'm more of a Gleek myself.

2009 September 7, Jason Wuthrich, “Re: OT what new shows are you looking forward to seeing this fall season?”, in alt.tv.american-idol (Usenet):

2010, Evie Parker, 100% Gleek: The Unofficial Guide to Glee:

Well I thought she looked quite cute, so I Googled her. I'm not yet a full on Gleek, honest!

2010 February 3, Fred X, “Re: Glee - the woman from Pushing Daisies”, in uk.media.tv.misc (Usenet):

are there any other Gleeks out here in viPhone land? I saw on my facebook today that there's a Glee app!! $2.99 so I grabbed it. maybe I shouldn't have seeing all the financial stress I'm currently under but I'm a Gleek in a big way!! so I couldn't resist!! I needed to check it out!!!

2010 April 17, "Jessica and Goldina", "anyone try the Glee app?", in "VIPhone" (Google Groups group)

Yep... I'm a "Gleek"! (I'm sure it's partially due to being in band in high school, as we usually did a medley of songs from a musical during each performance.)

2010 April 30, Zoot, “Re: Glee-------”, in alt.x.y (Usenet):

Fair warning: One is the beginning of a musical number that's been on every Gleek's watch-list since Spears tweeted this pic.

2010 September 24, Kate Stanhope, “Do You Mind That Glee Can't Keep a Secret?”, in TVGuide:

And you call yourself a Gleek...

2010 September 27, Don Del Grande, “Re: 09/26/2010 New Episode”, in alt.tv.simpsons (Usenet):

(fandom slang) A fan of the television show Glee.


Romulan

From Romulus + -an. From the Star Trek franchise, in which they are described as being from the planet Romulus, drawing inspiration from the Roman origin story of Romulus and Remus.

"Some sort of Romulan game," Riker said thoughtfully. "Trying to make us guess what they're up to."

1999, Peter Allen David, Double or Nothing:

"He looks like a Romulan." Suddenly, her attention is focused on him and she calls across the street, "Hey, monkey Romulan, sort it out!"

...the law vaporizes like a Romulan warrior into the ions of space.

2001, Michael W McConnell, Robert F Cochran, Angela C Carmella, Christian perspectives on legal thought:

A member of a fictional alien race, described as being cunning and opportunistic.


Romulan

en-adj

Romulan (comparative more Romulan, superlative most Romulan)

more Romulan (comparative)
most Romulan (superlative)

Pertaining to the fictional extraterrestrial race, or its fictional polity, the Romulan Star Empire; from Star Trek.


Romulan

constructed language
constructed language#English

A fictional language and a constructed language. The fictional language of the Romulans, a fictional extraterrestrial race from Star Trek. Created words and phrases from Star Trek have been latterly expanded upon to create a constructed language, that some among the Star Trek fandom attempt to build into a usable language.


Twihard

Getting "Twihards" who love virtuous vampires to buy the soundtrack is easy — but getting Radiohead fans to plunk down cash for a little bit of the "New Moon" universe will be a coup.

2009 October 3, Ann Donahue, “'New Moon' Rising”, in Billboard, page 19:

Beginning at popular Rialto Beach, share this classic coastline with beachcombers, dog walkers (allowed on-leash to Ellen Creek), and scores of Twihards from across the country.

2011, Craig Romano, Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multiday Routes, The Mountaineers Books, published 2011, →ISBN, page 38:

'Not me, I'm an out and out Twihard, loved the vampires in Twilight – still do, always will – so I know what it's like when people take the mickey. My brothers drew huge fangs and devil tails on all my posters of Robert Pattinson.'

2014, Samantha Tonge, From Paris, With Love, Carina, published 2014, →ISBN:

(fandom slang) An avid fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series or the related films.


Jaspis

Blend of jasper and lapis (from lapis lazuli).

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Lazuli Jasper and Lapis Lazulifrom the Steven Universe series.


mytharc

Blend of mythology + story arc, used originally and most commonly in reference to The X-Files.

This [Neon Genesis Evangelion] is one show that -really- has me sucked in. And yes, their mytharc has to be the most perfectly constructed thing I've ever seen. :)

1999, Heath Smith, “TAN: Neon Genesis and how to do the mytharc properly”, in aus.tv.x-files (Usenet):

I think this is what you seek to avoid in mytharcs - a plot that drowns out the character-based drama and morality plays that are still Gene's finest legacy.

2000, Allronix, “An open letter to Ms. Roddenberry”, in alt.tv.earth-final-conflict (Usenet):

The mytharc is a continuous story line about the government's involvement in a plot to cover up the presence of extraterrestrials on Earth.

2008, J. P. Telotte, The essential science fiction television reader, page 234:

(fandom slang) The ongoing story arc that underpins all episodes of a television series.


Jediism

A minor modern religion based on the Jedi of the Star Wars series.


Simpsonian

Simpsonian (comparative more Simpsonian, superlative most Simpsonian)

more Simpsonian (comparative)
most Simpsonian (superlative)

Of or relating to George Gaylord Simpson (1902–1984), US paleontologist.

Of or pertaining to The Simpsons, an American animated sitcom.


Homer Simpsonian

Homer Simpsonian (comparative more Homer Simpsonian, superlative most Homer Simpsonian)

more Homer Simpsonian (comparative)
most Homer Simpsonian (superlative)

From Homer Simpson (name of a character in The Simpsons, an animated TV serial) + -ian.

Of or pertaining to the vocalizations or behavior of Homer Simpson.


Mickey Mousing

From Mickey Mouse + -ing, in reference to early Walt Disney films, where the music served to mimic the animated motions of the characters.

(animation) Synchronization of actions on screen with the accompanying music.


Vietnam War

The country’s first black president, and its first president to reach adulthood after the Vietnam War and Watergate, Mr. Obama seemed like a digital-age leader who could at last dislodge the stalemate between those who clung to the government of the Great Society, on the one hand, and those who disdained the very idea of government, on the other.

2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a Second Term, Obama Will Confront Familiar Headwinds”, in New York Times:

People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China

(historical) The war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia between 1955 and 1975 between South Vietnam (backed by the United States and SEATO) and North Vietnam aiding the South Vietnamese communist guerrilla army known as the Vietcong (supported by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union) for the struggle for total Communist control of Vietnam as one state.


Sarlacc

From the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi (1983).

A fictional multi-tentacled beast known to dissolve its prey slowly, buried in a depression in the desert sands of the planet Tatooine.


minority leader

en-noun

minority leader (plural minority leaders)

Jeffries, 52, will assume the role of minority leader when the new Congress is sworn in early next year, inheriting the position held for nearly two decades by Pelosi, a towering figure in Democratic politics who was the first female speaker.

2022 November 30, Lauren Gambino, “House Democrats elect Hakeem Jeffries as first Black leader in Congress”, in The Guardian:

House of Representatives
House of Representatives

(US politics) In each of the legislative chambers of the United States Congress—the United States Senate and the House of Representatives—the elected member selected by the members of the political party with the second-largest number of elected members, who serves as principal spokesperson for the members of that party in that chamber and who plays a leading role in creating policies and strategies governing his or her party's business in that chamber.


Jedi Knight

A powerful rank of Jedi below that of Jedi Master.


Yoda

The character was introduced in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Perhaps from Sanskrit योद्धा (yoddhā, “warrior”).

A wise old Jedi Master in the Star Wars films.


Jamestown

Any of numerous places in English-speaking regions:

A large number of places in the United States:

A former settlement in the Colony of Virginia, established in 1607 and named after King James I of England.

Colony of Virginia
Colony of Virginia#English

A census-designated place in Tuolumne County, California.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A statutory town in Boulder County, Colorado.

A ghost town in Chattahoochee County, Georgia.

Chattahoochee County
Chattahoochee County#English

A small community of Ware County, Georgia.

A small town in Jackson Township, Boone County and Eel River Township, Hendricks County, Indiana; named after its founder, James Mattock.

w:Jackson Township, Boone County, Indiana

w:Eel River Township, Hendricks County, Indiana

Hendricks County
Hendricks County#English

An unincorporated community in Baugo Township, Elkhart County, Indiana.

w:Baugo Township, Elkhart County, Indiana

An unincorporated community in Jamestown Township, Steuben County, Indiana.

w:Jamestown Township, Steuben County, Indiana

The original name of New Lisbon, Henry County, Indiana.

A community of the city of Dayton, Kentucky.

A small home rule city, the county seat of Russell County, Kentucky.

A village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish#English

A city in Chautauqua County, New York; the largest city in the United States with this name; named after early settler James Prendergast.

Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County#English

A town in Guilford County, North Carolina.

A city, the county seat of Stutsman County, North Dakota; the second-largest city in the United States with this name.

An unincorporated community in Rogers County, Oklahoma.

A borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.

A town in Newport County, Rhode Island; named after King James II of England.

A tiny town in Berkeley County, South Carolina.

A small city, the county seat of Fentress County, Tennessee.

An unincorporated community in Smith County, Texas.

An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, West Virginia.

Jefferson County
Jefferson County#English


phonemark

en-verb

phonemark (third-person singular simple present phonemarks, present participle phonemarking, simple past and past participle phonemarked)

phonemarks (present singular third-person)
phonemarking (participle present)
phonemarked (participle past)
phonemarked (past)

Or worse, without earmarks the members of the spending committees can "phonemark" projects without anyone ever knowing

2008 June 11, “Deseret News candidate questionnaire:”, in Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah:

(US politics, transitive) To apply pressure on a government agency to fund a specific project as part of a more general program.


Upper South

The northern part of the South (Southern United States), typically consisting of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma, sometimes also inclusive of southern Missouri, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, eastern/southern/western Maryland, and southern Delaware.


DINO

Modelled after RINO (“Republican in name only”).

Democratic Party
w:Democratic Party (United States)

(US politics, derogatory) Acronym of Democrat in name only. Typically used by liberal members of the U.S. Democratic Party to describe Democrats whose views are conservative or perceived as conservative.


Billary

(US, slang, sometimes derogatory) The political union of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.


SOTU

He intends to use the SOTU message as nothing more that another Hollywood stunt similar to the pep rally he had on the WH lawn after the impeachment vote.

1999 January 14, Al Shurgalla <keyp...@pacific.net.sg>, “Re: Will Congress Applaud At Clinton's State Of Union Address?”, in alt.conspiracy, alt.impeach.clinton, alt.politics.clinton (Usenet), message-ID <14>:

Bush won't be stressing those particular points as he hits the pre-SOTU stump circuit, but the "if it's good enough for 2006 it's good enough for now"

2003 January 10, “Person of the Week: George W. Bush”, in TIME:

Issue of civil discourse will "certainly play a role" in SOTU.

2011 January 13, “Gibbs Briefs”, in TIME:

(US politics) The annual State of the Union address of the President of the United States.


Mickey Mouse Protection Act

the Mickey Mouse Protection Act (canonical)

So called because it served to prevent Disney's Mickey Mouse character from entering the public domain for a further period.

(informal, derogatory) The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.


Bluto

Fictional character name for the antagonist of Popeye coined in 1932 by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar.

He was built like Bluto. "Who the hell are you?" he said.

1986, Lee K. Abbott, Strangers in paradise, page 38:

For whatever reason, it'd taken her a little while to get out of the cab when they first got here, and when Chuck introduced me — she stood a full foot shorter than him, a tiny woman next to this Bluto of a man, a knitted green afghan over her shoulders, a white blouse and blue jeans.

2008, Bret Lott, Ancient Highway: A Novel, page 152:

His pit bull parts thinned out his back end but gave him a Bluto disproportion in his front end.

2010, Susan Wilson, One Good Dog, page 21:

It wasn't the black loudmouth I'd expected but a Bluto of a man almost filling the entire doorway.

2011, Shaun Attwood, chapter 25, in Hard Time: Life with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in America's Toughest Jail:

The customers sometimes called him Bluto. He earned the nickname by his tremendous build and great strength.

2015, Maryann Bouco, chapter 4, in The Last Stand:

A man who is large and muscular in top-heavy proportions, often combined with a comically brutish and aggressive personality.


birtherism

/ˈbɝθɚˌɪz(ə)m/

But Obama's plunge into the fever swamp of birtherism was just the latest detour on what had already been a long, strange trip—with many miles still to go.

2013, John Heilemann, Mark Halperin, Double Down, →ISBN, page 12:

United States of America
United States of America

(slang, often derogatory, US politics) A movement in the United States of America that doubts or denies that the 44th President, Barack Obama, is a natural-born U.S. citizen, thus implying that he is ineligible to be President.

Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories


Speedy Gonzales

After a fast-running animated mouse in Warner Bros. cartoons.

(idiomatic, informal) A fast person; someone who does something very quickly.


Betty Boop

A feminist she is not, and we see her with many a Betty Boop look of horror as her two loutish pals make matchsticks out of every piece of barroom furniture in sight.

1997, David Howard Day, A Treasure Hard to Attain: Images of Archaeology in Popular Film, page 89:

He sits astride a motorcycle and fingers the hem of a bright red dress worn by a pert, blonde, cherry-lipped model. Her mouth is open in a Betty Boop "ooh."

2002, Catherine Orenstein, Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale, page 192:

She had straight black hair with a Betty Boop bob cut and ruby red sweetheart lips.

2005, Stephanie Lehmann, Are You in the Mood?, page 188:

Betty: Shall we? (Her voice has now assumed a Betty Boop pitch.)

2007, James Fitzgerald, The Joys of Smoking Cigarettes, page 22:

Thirty years old when the song came out, Lauper was playacting at being a girl — and the ultimate girl, at that — with her Betty Boop voice and crazy dress-up outfits.

2010, Marisa Meltzer, Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music, page 75:

A fictional female entertainer introduced in 1930s cartoons, characterized by a high-pitched singing and speaking voice, short and curly black hair, and sexually provocative clothing, mannerisms, and facial expressions.


Rin-Tin-Tin

Alternative spelling of Rin Tin Tin (“the name given to certain fictional dogs”)


Rin Tin Tin

From the name of a good-luck charm that French children often gave to American soldiers.

A name given to several related fictional German Shepherd dogs, particularly from the 1920s and the 1930s.


Goofy

A Disney character: a slow-witted anthropomorphic dog with a goofy laugh.


Scooby-Doo

Frank Sinatra
Scooby-Doo
Strangers in the Night

Uncertain. scooby doo appears as a vocable scatted in "The Boppenpoof Song" written in 1954, as the name of a band (The Scooby-Doo All-Stars) in 1956 and the title of a song by the Jerry Lieber Beat Band published by Zephyr Records in 1959 (both of which were signed to Zephyr Records). It is likely that such uses were an influence on the creators of the cartoon but they may also have been partially influenced by Frank Sinatra's "doo-be-doo-be-doo" improvisation in "Strangers in the Night" released in 1963 a few months prior to the first episode of Scooby-Doo being shown (also in 1963).

I knew I had to be very careful when I was crafting the story, so that it wouldn't be a Scooby Doo moment—you know, the one where the villain rips off his mask and tells you why he did it—and that he would have gotten away with it, if not for those pesky kids!

2007, Jodi Picoult, "Reader's Companion" (Washington Square Press) to the author's Plain Truth (Simon and Schuster, 2000) p.414

A mile out of town, off the Combe Martin road, discover a real Scooby Doo experience at Chambercombe Manor. It's shrouded in ghost stories and has starred in TV shows about the paranormal.

2008, Simon Heptinstall, Devon (Crimson Publishing) page 137

It was a Scooby-Doo moment: everybody looks down, everybody looks up. Maddy looks surprised. Pat looks guilty. Oh, those meddlesome kids.

2010, J. Wachowski, In Plain View, Carina Press, page 314:

"I love the Scooby-Doo of it all." And it was fun, combing through old books and papers for recognizable names.

2010, Buzzy Jackson, Shaking the Family Tree: Blue Bloods, Black Sheep, and Other Obsessions of an Accidental Genealogist, Simon and Schuster, page 171:

An American cartoon franchise, named for one of the main characters, a large dog, and featuring as protagonists four "meddling" teenagers who unravel seemingly supernatural mysteries.


Eastern Bloc

Coordinate term: Western Bloc

(geopolitics, historical) The largely Communist countries of the eastern world, usually Eastern Europe and especially in the Cold War era.

اَلْكُتْلَة الشَّرْقِيَّة

the communist countries of the eastern world


Care Bear

Brand name. The characters were introduced in 1981 for use on greeting cards and turned into plush toys in 1983.

The baby or toddler who goes to sleep alone (with a Care Bear, with his favorite blanket, or by sucking his thumb) learns valuable self-quieting behaviors that can be used for many years to come.

1994, Edward R. Christophersen, Pediatric Compliance: A Guide for the Primary Care Physician, page 171:

But the domestic turkey is about as remote from the wild animal as a Care Bear is from a grizzly.

2004, Jerry Sullivan, Hunting for Frogs on Elston, and Other Tales from Field & Street, page 68:

One of my real aspirations of this is I wanna see interstellar wars between Care Bears and Klingons.

2007 March 13, Will Wright, keynote, South by Southwest, Austin

Any of a brand of cheerful bear figures, seen on greeting cards and as stuffed toys.


Brezhnev Doctrine

Named after Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev.

named-after

A policy which stated that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene in places where capitalism threatened communism.


Mickey Mouse glove

en-noun

Mickey Mouse glove (plural Mickey Mouse gloves)

Worn by the animated character Mickey Mouse.

A glove that is white and usually four-fingered.


Mickey Mouse hat

Mickey Mouse hat (plural Mickey Mouse hats)

Mickey Mouse cap
Mickey Mouse cap#English


Mickey Mouse cap

Mickey Mouse cap (plural Mickey Mouse caps)

A black cap with two round appendages that imitate the ears of Mickey Mouse.


Nancy Reagan gaze

Nancy Reagan gaze (plural Nancy Reagan gazes)

From the attentive look Nancy Reagan was noted for fixing on her husband, Ronald Reagan, U.S. President from 1981 to 1989, when he made public appearances.

Pat Nixon held the title for most stoic [Washington] wife until Maureen Dean gave an Oscar-winning performance during her husband's Watergate testimony, sitting primly behind him, blond hair pulled back, holding the Nancy Reagan gaze before there was a Nancy Reagan gaze.

1989, Margaret Carlson, "I'M Nobody, Who Are You?", Time, May 8, 1989, ISSN 0040-781X

Peter Chernin, the head Fox TV programmer, … will titularly replace Roth and serve as Murdoch's malleable functionary. He looks at his boss with a sort of adoring Nancy Reagan gaze.

1992, Laureen Hobbs, "The Industry & The Webs", Spy, December 1992/January 1993 p. 18 ISSN 0890-1759

Joan’s attention appeared to be wandering from her leader. Instead of fixing him with the requisite Nancy Reagan gaze, she kept sneaking glances out the window.

2011 February 12, Miriam Lord, “Hard to keep up the Nancy Reagan gaze when a rugby hero undresses”, in The Irish Times:

A transfixed look upon a person taken as showing absolute devotion or affection.


Xenaverse

Many wonderful people and events have come into our lives from being part of the Xenaverse.

2002, Jo Marriott, Carly Bramwell, “Maid Marion, Meet Xena”, in Nikki Stafford, editor, How Xena Changed Our Lives: True Stories by Fans for Fans, page 72:

The task of mapping the online Xenaverse is, of course, an impossible one. The Xenaverse is too expansive, too unstructured, too fluid and fast moving to be charted; […]

2003, Sara Gwellian-Jones, “Histories, Fictions and Xena: Warrior Princess”, in Will Brooker, Deborah Jermyn, editors, The Audience Studies Reader, page 188:

For instance, when I lived in Italy a couple of years ago, I stumbled across the Italian Xenaverse.

2005, Anik LaChev, "Fan Fiction: A Genre And Its (Final?) Frontiers", Spectator, Volume 25, Number 1, Spring 2005, page 91

(fandom slang) The fandom of Xena: Warrior Princess.


BMP

w:Best management practice for water pollution

(US politics) Initialism of Best Management Practice; management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of waters in the USA and Canada.


Super Saturday

Coordinate term: Super Tuesday

(US politics) A Saturday on which a large number of U.S. states hold caucuses (elections) for the process of nominating presidential candidates.


CWT

Central War Time
Central War Time#English

(US, historical) Initialism of Central War Time.


Buffy

A pet form of Elizabeth (cf. Bethy), based on a child's unsuccessful attempts to pronounce the name. Popularized by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise.

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.


Johnsonian

en-adj

Johnsonian (comparative more Johnsonian, superlative most Johnsonian)

more Johnsonian (comparative)
most Johnsonian (superlative)

/d͡ʒɒnˈsəʊnɪ.ən/

(US politics) Of or pertaining to Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973), American politician and president of the United States from 1963 to 1969.


X-Verse

2009, Rebecca Housel, Jeremy Wisnewski, editors, X-Men and Philosophy: Astonishing Insight and Uncanny Argument in the Mutant X-Verse, John Wiley & Sons.:

First and most common is the charge that numerous characters in Heroes have powers of preexisting comic book characters, especially from the X-Men.[…]Even Isaac Mendez's power to paint the future predates him in a character from the X-verse—Nemesio from District X.

2009, David Kyle Johnson, Heroes and Philosophy: Buy the Book, Save the World, page 50:

And if Parfit is right, it should make you think twice about how quickly you judge all of the characters in the X-Verse (and the real world).[…] In the X-Verse we should be less dubious of Emma Frost working with the X-Men; […].

2010, William Irwin, David Kyle Johnson, Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, page 88:

(fandom slang) The fictional world, or universe, which serves as the setting for the Marvel Comics and film series featuring the characters the X-Men.


Lincolnian

Lincolnian (comparative more Lincolnian, superlative most Lincolnian)

more Lincolnian (comparative)
most Lincolnian (superlative)

Of or pertaining to Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), 16th president of the United States.


politiquera

“I’ve been a politiquera for 20 years,” Ms. Espinoza said in an interview last week outside her trailer in the town of Pharr.

2008 May 13, Michael Luo, “A Usually Legal Practice That Wears Black Eyes”, in New York Times:

(US politics) One who is paid by an election campaign to issue fliers to householders and encourage them to go and vote for a particular candidate.


snogger

They're nearly as pathetic as those snoggers (sad, deluded morons who believe DD and GA should be together!).

2001 July 12, Caffeine Cal, “Re: *Nasty* Doggett-Haters Website :(”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

It's a bit sad when snoggers write in to the IMDB to pass on the false information that DD has "filed for divorce" from TL: […]

2002 August 27, pam, “Re: Doggett to come back to Fox”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

While I'm not a snogger (don't look at me like that!), I do think, from what little I know of them, that David and Gillian had a kind of working relationship that in some weird cosmic way must have reflected what we saw on the screen between them.

2005 June 17, Robert Cook, “Re: Speaking of "Lost"”, in alt.tv.x-files (Usenet):

(X-Files fandom slang, derogatory) A fan who believed Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny were romantically involved or shipped them together.


Xenaphile

[…] but devout Xenaphiles end up squinting at blurry, freeze-framed images on their TV screens in hopes of finding out which mythological entity was not injured or otherwise inconvenienced this week.

1998, Greg Cox, Battle On!: An Unauthorized, Irreverent Look at Xena: Warrior Princess, page 8:

In light of this inexplicit story line — what gay and straight Xenaphiles refer to casually as "the subtext" — the opening voice-over's weekly refrain, "In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings," begins to sound gendered.

1998 April, Heather Findlay, “Xena-philia!”, in Girlfriends, page 29:

New York correspondent and Xenaphile Dan Scapperotti provides this issue's look behind-the-scenes at the making of the show, including an exclusive interview with New Zealand star Lucy Lawless.

1999, Cinefantastique, volume 31, numbers 1-6, page 3:

(fandom slang) A fan of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.


veepstakes

Blend of veep (“(informal) Vice President of the United States”) + sweepstakes (plural of sweepstake (“lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute all the money paid by the participants”)).

blend

The candidate for the challenging party was undergoing a veepstakes.

What America needs now is comedy—so hurray, we're getting ready to elect a Vice-President! Sure, we elect a Boss Man too, but it'll be the Veepstakes that'll provide the laughs.

1952 May 13, Earl Wilson, “It happened last night: Veepstakes provide laughs even in serious campaign”, in W. E. Christenson, editor, Evening World-Herald, number 222, Omaha, Neb.: World Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 25, column 3:

[Barbara] Mikulski, who is 47, is the least chic of the women mentioned in the veepstakes. Barely 4 feet 11 inches tall, she barrels through the halls of Congress like a small tank. Her facial expressions swing from a pugnacious frown to an impish grin.

1984 June, Kaye Northcott, “Campaign 84: Only a Heartbeat Away: Will the Next Vice President of the United States be a Woman?”, in Deirdre English, editor, Mother Jones, volume IX, number V, San Francisco, Calif.: Foundation for National Progress, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 40, columns 1–2:

If [Spiro] Agnew abandoned his inflammatory rhetoric during the 1972 campaign, he did not abandon his corrosive wit altogether. The more restrained Agnew twitted Sargent Shriver, the Democratic candidate in the Veepstakes, on his personal wealth.

1994, Gerald [Clifford] Gardner, “Campaign 1972: So I Made a Mistake”, in Campaign Comedy: Political Humor from Clinton to Kennedy (Humor in Life and Letters), Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press, →ISBN, page 194:

He laughed again and we talked vividly, I recall, on the topic of how many people in Washington are obsessed with where they rank, how they’re perceived. It’s a particularly acute concern in television and politics—ratings, veepstakes, poll numbers, the kind of things that mean everything and nothing in Washington.

2008 June 15, Mark Leibovich, “Tiny town: Washington after a fall”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-06-01:

Mr. [Chuck] Todd, whose ubiquity as a running-mate handicapper at his network is akin to Mel Kiper Jr.’s as an N.F.L. draft expert on ESPN, said that all the time and energy devoted to the veepstakes these days is well spent.

2008 June 22, Mark Leibovich, “The great American float”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-26:

The above is worth remembering as the presidential race turns the corner into its most feverishly speculative, excessively breathless phase: the veepstakes.

2012 April 2, Frank Bruni, “And now, the veepstakes”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-06-17:

Harris’s choice will come down to “who can have the hard conversations”, a former Harris aide turned US senator said as the “veepstakes” neared their conclusion.

2024 August 3, Martin Pengelly, “Crunch time in ‘veepstakes’ as Kamala Harris prepares to choose running mate”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(US politics, slang, humorous) The process by which candidates for the Presidency of the United States choose a running mate to become the Vice President if elected.


domino theory

An allusion to a row of dominoes in which the fall of one leads to a cascade of falling pieces.

(politics, historical) Synonym of domino effect


HillaryCare

Blend of Hillary + healthcare, after Hillary Rodham Clinton, chair of the task-force that developed the plan.

(US politics, chiefly derisive) The Clinton health care plan of 1993.


stardate

Captain's log, stardate 3087.6. While investigating an uncharted planet, the Enterprise and at least this entire quadrant of space, has been subjected to violent, unexplained stress and force.

1967, Star Trek, The Alternative Factor, season 1, episode 27, spoken by William Shatner:

And to avoid any quantum entanglement, make sure that if you visit the show before it closes on the stardate equivalent to Sept. 20, your transporter is in working order.

2009 May 30, Edward Rothstein, “The U.S.S. Enterprise, in Strange New World of Museum”, in New York Times:

(science fiction) A date according to the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek.


Tecumseh

An unincorporated census-designated place in eastern Fayette Township, Vigo County, Indiana, United States.

An unincorporated community in Fairfield Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States.

Tippecanoe County
Tippecanoe County#English

An unincorporated community in Shawnee County, Kansas, United States.

A city and township in Lenawee County, Michigan, United States.

An unincorporated community in Ozark County, Missouri, United States.

A city, the county seat of Johnson County, Nebraska, United States.

A city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States.

Pottawatomie County
Pottawatomie County#English


deather

(US, derogatory) One who favours the rationing of healthcare in the United States (from the perspective of those who believed that US president Barack Obama's healthcare legislation would include rationing).


padawan

→ Japanese: パダワン (padawan)

→ Spanish: padawan

→ Portuguese: padawan

→ French: padawan

→ Korean: 파다원 (padawon)

→ Russian: падава́н (padaván)

→ Esperanto: padavano

Générations Star Wars et Science Fiction

Coined by American filmmaker George Lucas as early as 1973 (in the manuscript Journal of the Whills, where it was spelled padawaan), but not used in his Star Wars film franchise until Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace which premiered on 16 May 1999.

coin

Just as Plato requires a training program that combines physical and mental skills, so does Yoda. The training you'll receive will probably be similar to the training young Luke Skywalker receives from Yoda, since you're probably nearer his age than younger padawans. Throughout his training, Luke questions Yoda about good and evil, the Force, and other concepts important to a Jedi. Likewise, Plato's Republic features a question-and-answer interplay between teacher and students as Socrates's "padawans" question him about justice and injustice, the nature of the Good, and the ideal government.

2005, Judith Barad, “The Aspiring Jedi’s Handbook of Virtue”, in Kevin S. Decker, Jason T. Eberl, editors, Star Wars and Philosophy: More Powerful than You Can Possibly Imagine (Popular Culture and Philosophy; 12), Chicago, Ill.: Open Court Publishing Company, →ISBN:

Like, practically every day in third grade, Auggie and I would hang out together on FaceChat. We had decided to grow our Padawan braids before I moved away, so it was a great way to check how long they had gotten.

2015, R. J. Palacio, “FaceChat”, in Pluto: A Wonder Story, New York, N.Y.: Knopf Books for Young Readers, →ISBN:

Her underlings flanked her, like Padawans studying beneath some great Jedi.

2017, Marnie Riches, Born Bad, London: Avon, →ISBN:


Tea Party

In reference to the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when American colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxation without representation.

Any of various independent, fiscally conservative political groups in the twenty-first-century United States.


Tea Party

Various independent, fiscally conservative political groups in the twenty-first-century United States, taken as a whole.


Disneyish

en-adj

Disneyish (comparative more Disneyish, superlative most Disneyish)

more Disneyish (comparative)
most Disneyish (superlative)

In the first act Giselle's cottage and Albrecht's hut look too Disneyish, while the architecture of the background castle is reminiscent of the high baroque of the monastery at Melk and clashes with the costumes.

At the end, there's an appearance by the famous stampeding horses, much loved by academic explicators, and a big rainbow, seemingly painted in the sky in Disneyish candy colors.

1989 May 29, New York Magazine, The Rainbow, volume 22, number 22, page 65:

Characteristic of The Walt Disney Company or its productions.


peculiar institution

"Peculiar" here does not mean strange. It means "peculiar" (particular) to a certain area, in this case the Southern United States.

He became a great drunkard and a great gambler (vices intimately connected with the "peculiar institution,") and was obliged to give up his business.

1855, Peter Randolph, Illustrations of the 'Peculiar Institution':

He documents the extensiveness of the peculiar institution's presence throughout the region and establishes a much more realistic context for the emergences of abolitionist sentiments and the various forms it took.

2001, John C. Inscoe, Appalachians and Race, Introduction, page 3:


LGB

"[…]The congressman who had an alleged affair with a Chinese spy for several years and inexplicably still sits on the House Intelligence and Homeland Security Committees jumped to Twitter on Christmas Day to attack the Oregon father who delivered the LGB joke during the White House holiday call."

[2021 December 27, Proud Progressive, “Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell Blasts Pathetic Dad Who Said Lets Go Brandon to Biden”, in comp.os.linux.advocacy (Usenet):

Got gas the other day and there were two LGB stickers on the gas pump.

2021 December 27, Frank, “Do you suppose anyone told the venal, senile what LGB means?”, in alt.home.repair (Usenet):

Unfortunately for Brown, the reaction was negative. Despite being a rising NASCAR star, he said it became “extremely difficult” to attract sponsors because major corporations saw his unintentional association with the LGB meme to be divisive.

2022 January 5, “NASCAR rejects ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sponsorship”, in RT:

That represents a 99.5 percent decline over the last 30 days, leaving a singular LGB coin effectively worthless.

2022 February 13, Technobarbarian, “‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Crypto Coin Turns Into Total Dumpster Fire”, in rec.outdoors.rv-travel (Usenet):

The gift shop is rammed. [...] I'm slightly surprised to see an "LGB" clutch above the till, until I realise it stands for "Let’s Go Brandon", code for "Fuck Joe Biden"[.]

2024 March 15, Jemima Kelly, “How the least divided place in America feels about Trump's return”, in Financial Review, archived from the original on 2024-04-09:

let's go, Brandon
let's go, Brandon#English

(Internet slang, US politics) Initialism of let's go, Brandon.


Quaker gun

An allusion to the pacifism associated with practitioners of the Quaker religion.

"At all events, your honour, I will carry the quaker in," said Joyce, tossing the stuffed figure on a shoulder. "He do to man the quaker gun at least, and may be of use in frightening some one of the other side."

1843, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 21, in Wyandotte:

The Quaker gun found there was consigned to the flames to-day, and in its stead heavy artillery, of the genuine sort, commands all the surrounding country.

1861 October 4, “The Great Rebellion”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-10-30:

(chiefly US, idiomatic, military, weaponry) A nonfunctional imitation of a gun or of a piece of artillery, typically made of wood and usually intended to deceive enemy forces into overestimating one's available firepower.


Know-Nothingism

(historical) The doctrines, principles, or practices of the Know-Nothings.


Know-Nothing

Party members claimed to know nothing about the party when questioned.

The legacy of the Know-Nothings lived beyond its life as an organization. The seeds of bigotry, fear and hatred bore fruit again in the years after the Civil War.[…]
The First World War led to another outbreak of nativism. A new group, adopting the program of the Know-Nothings and the name of the Ku Klux Klan, came into being, denouncing everything its members disliked—Negroes, Catholics, Jews, evolutionists, religious liberals, internationalists, pacifists—in the name of true Americanism and of “Nordic superiority.”

1964, John F. Kennedy, “Immigration Policy”, in A Nation of Immigrants, Revised and Enlarged edition, Harper & Row, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 71:

(historical) A member of a secret antiforeigner political organization in the nineteenth-century United States.


American Civil War

A war fought in the United States between 1861 and 1865, between the Northern states (Union) and Southern states (Confederacy).

美國內戰

civil war in the United States (1861-1865)


Wilsonianism

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Wilsonianism.wav

An approach to foreign policy typical of US president Woodrow Wilson, characterized by the spread of capitalist democracy and an emphasis on openness, conflict resolution, and the self-determination of peoples.


Wilsonian

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Wilsonian.wav

(US politics) Of or relating to US politician Woodrow Wilson or his policies.


Dobbs

en-proper noun

Dobbs (countable and uncountable, plural Dobbses)

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + the patronymic suffix -s.

By overturning Roe v. Wade, Dobbs is sure to go down as one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions, undoing a constitutional right that’s been in place for nearly half a century and delivering a decisive victory to the anti-abortion movement.

2022 June 24, “‘Abortion Is Just the Beginning’: Six Experts on the Decision Overturning Roe”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-01:

What makes Republicans and progressives come together? “It was honestly Dobbs,” Ms. Watson-Whittaker said. “The decision brought everybody together.” In Michigan, at least, that togetherness seems to have paid off for Democrats.

2022 November 19, Amy Littlefield, “Democrats Need to Realize How Much Dobbs Mattered”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-11:

Dobbs demolished a federal right to abortion, and its legality currently rests with each state. This has created a patchwork of laws that have made legislation designed to stop abortions less effective in some parts of the country.

2023 July 6, Sarah Boden, “A year after victory in Dobbs decision, anti-abortion activists still in fight mode”, in NPR, archived from the original on 2023-07-07:

“People who reported using more substances or having more mental health conditions were more likely to report a policy-related barrier to obtaining an abortion,” Roberts said. In the aftermath of Dobbs, she said, “There’s no reason to believe that things would have become easier.”

2023 October 26, Nada Hassanein, “Medical exceptions to abortion bans often exclude mental health conditions”, in USA Today, online edition:

w:en:Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

unenumerated right
unenumerated right#English

(US, law, US politics, informal, uncountable, neologism) Ellipsis of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which stated that access to abortion was not a constitutionally protected right, overturning the earlier Roe ruling which established this unenumerated right.


wave the bloody shirt

en-verb

wave the bloody shirt (third-person singular simple present waves the bloody shirt, present participle waving the bloody shirt, simple past and past participle waved the bloody shirt)

waves the bloody shirt (present singular third-person)
waving the bloody shirt (participle present)
waved the bloody shirt (participle past)
waved the bloody shirt (past)

(US politics, slang) To mention martyrs and wars (especially the American Civil War) in an effort to draw empathy.


speak softly and carry a big stick

Popularized by and often attributed to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) as an expression of his view of foreign policy, possibly of earlier, West African origin according to his account, but with a probability of he himself having coined it. The full version is “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

There is a homely old adage which runs: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

1903 April 3, Theodore Roosevelt, President Roosevelt's Speech on the Monroe Doctrine," Arizona Journal-Miner, p. 4 (retrieved 19 Dec 2011)

Under any governmental auspices, as the modern world knows governments, the keeping of the peace comes at its best under the precept, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

1917, Thorstein Veblen, The Nature of Peace, Introductory:

When it comes to China, we have gone from "Speak softly and carry a big stick" to "Take the fifth and carry a toothpick". (from a Congressional speech by Rep. James Traficant, June 22, 1998)

1999 January 17, Tom Kuntz, “Word for Word/Representative James A. Traficant Jr.”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-12-19:

Do not boast or utter verbal threats, but do make others aware that you are prepared to use physical or military force if necessary.

溫言在口，大棒在手

do not boast but do make others aware that you are prepared to use force

you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone


Naderite

(US politics) A supporter of Ralph Nader (born 1934), American political activist.


RomneyCare

Blend of Romney (“Mitt Romney”) + healthcare or Medicare and likely influenced by the term ObamaCare. Although the 2006 Massachusetts Law signed by then-governor Mitt Romney predated the 2010 United States Federal Law signed by President Barack Obama, the term RomneyCare was not commonly used until after the term ObamaCare was in wide use.

blend

(US politics, neologism, chiefly derogatory) Healthcare plans instituted by the state of Massachusetts under the governorship of Mitt Romney, which provided for complete coverage of all citizens of the Commonwealth, and included an individual mandate to purchase health insurance for those able to pay.


Nader's raider

From the name of US lawyer, author, politician, and social activist Ralph Nader (born 1934).

Nader's Raiders struck again last week. This time their target was the Federal Food and Drug Administration, which they tore apart in what may well be the most devastating critique of a U.S. Government agency ever issued.

1970 April 20, “Agencies: Up Against the Wall, FDA!”, in Time:

[S]he was overshadowed by her intensely competitive siblings, especially her brother Bruce, a graduate of Harvard’s law and business schools who went from being a Nader’s Raider, a left-wing consumer advocate, to a Master of the Universe, a leveraged buyout billionaire.

2011 August 28, “Biography: Wendy’s secrets”, in Miami Herald, retrieved 2012-01-16:

(US politics) An associate or assistant of Ralph Nader and of organizations led by him, who participates in Nader's legal, political, and social activitism.


batmobile

en-verb

batmobile (third-person singular simple present batmobiles, present participle batmobiling, simple past and past participle batmobiled)

batmobiles (present singular third-person)
batmobiling (participle present)
batmobiled (participle past)
batmobiled (past)

From the Batmobile driven by superhero Batman in the eponymous media franchise, from bat + -mobile. The second verb sense references the retractable shielding featured on the vehicle in the 1989 film.

Genericans live on fast food bought with $20 bills (Yuppie food coupons) taken out of automatic teller machines.
They tend to be young men and women prone to batmobiling, defined as "putting up protective emotional shields just as a relationship enters an intimate vulnerable stage," like the steel plates that cloak Batman's car.

1997 June 8, James Coates, “Generica, Semisweet Land Of Jitterati”, in Chicago Tribune:

Baby's antennae stood straight up. She tried to read him but Jake was too quick for her. He was batmobiling. His deflector screens had shot up—he was an emotional escape vehicle, complete with tinted windows. Bullet-proof, bomb-proof, utterly impenetrable.

1998, Linda Jaivin, Rock 'n' Roll Babes from Outer Space, page 243:

Meredith (Gillian Anderson) is a frosty, uptight theatre director being romanced by an architect (John Stewart), but she is, as we say in the 90s, batmobiling - her defences are up.

1999 August 6, Peter Bradshaw, “Sex in the windy city”, in The Guardian:

(dated slang) To put up an emotional or intellectual shield, especially to protect oneself from something that makes one uncomfortable.


Spock ears

(idiomatic) Pointy ears, resembling those of Spock, a Star Trek character.


boldly go where no man has gone before

boldly go<goes,,went,gone> where no man has gone before

boldly go where no man has gone before (third-person singular simple present boldly goes where no man has gone before, present participle boldly going where no man has gone before, simple past boldly went where no man has gone before, past participle boldly gone where no man has gone before)

en-au-boldly go where no man has gone before.ogg

A line from the opening sequence of the Star Trek TV series.

While Strauss would not exactly be boldly going where no man has gone before if he led England to victories this year in away Test series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, he set foot on an airbus to Dubai knowing that 2012 represents the last great examination of his side.

2012 January 2, Paul Newman, “Tough Trek ahead but Strauss' men know winning in Asia is the final frontier”, in the Mail online:

E-Racer Based loosely upon one of the original Rutan designs, the airplane goes where no man has gone before. In the first place, the composite canard machine is the first known example of the Rutan Long-EZ clones to have

1998 April, Budd Davisson, “Skyburners”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 165, page 68:

These were the voyages of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and Mawson, Nordenskjold, Borchgrevink, de Gerlache and von Drygalski, Filchner, Shirase, Bruce and Bull, national heroes most of them, who boldly went where no man had gone before.

1990, John Stewart, Antarctica: an encyclopedia: Volume 1:


super PAC

Coined by reporter Eliza Newlin Carney in 2010.

coin

Court decisions have established that super PACs are supposed to act independently of a candidate, with no coordination permitted. But the indictment focused on the suspicious timing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to Mr. Menendez’s re-election campaign from a generous friend who allegedly sought government favors through the senator’s influence.

2015 April 13, “On the Trail of Super PAC Money”, in New York Times:

(US politics) A political action committee which may support a political candidate, and officially endorse one, but is legally bound to not coordinate with any candidate, and is not limited in financial contributions from donors or financial spending.

特別政治活動委員会

とくべつせいじかつどういいん


Ejaculation Proclamation

the Ejaculation Proclamation (canonical)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Ejaculation Proclamation.wav

Rhyme with Emancipation Proclamation, a proclamation issued by US President Abraham Lincoln.

And we now have a title to Clinton's speech to the nation last Monday night: The "Ejaculation Proclamation."

1998 August 19, basch, “An Look at the Speech”, in alt.rush-limbaugh (Usenet):

I accepted it as the 'momentary lapse of judgment' before posting a 'not appropriate' message to the newsgroup of a person who merely 'volunteered' to articulate a scenario that may have been on some Americans' minds in the hours following their watching of the Ejaculation Proclamation.

1998 August 19, Colin M. Alberts, “Hitler 1933”, in soc.history.what-if (Usenet):

This would be the Ejaculation Proclamation, eh?

1998 August 19, endPC, “My Fellow Americans”, in alt.fan.regular-guys (Usenet):

the curtain jet up later rather than sooner Monday fo' Slick's Ejaculation Proclamation.

1998 August 20, Bob Kemp, “Theatre of the Absurd”, in alt.personals.intercultural (Usenet):

Not sure what nation you're from or the nature of its legal system, but would you and your countrymen be concerned if serious allegations arose causing your leader of perjury, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice? The great misperception is that it's about sex. Anyone who saw the "Ejaculation Proclamation" speech Monday night should know that's exactly what the Prez wants us to think -- it's between him, Hillary and his God. It's not.

1998 August 20, Scott Sprintz, “Embassy Bombs Retaliated”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim (Usenet):

(humorous, uncommon) US President Bill Clinton's admission that he had had an "improper physical relationship" with Monica Lewinsky.

Abraham Lincoln
Emancipation Proclamation
Lewinsky scandal


Spockish

en-adj

Spockish (comparative more Spockish, superlative most Spockish)

more Spockish (comparative)
most Spockish (superlative)

Gary Oldman is pale with pale blue eyes and Spockish ears.

1997, Film review: Special: Issues 18-21:

In the early shows, Leonard Nimoy and the various writers and directors struggled to find the Spockish response to emotionally charged situations.

1998, Grace Lee Whitney, Jim Denney, Leonard Nimoy, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, page 89:

Rather like the Spockish character Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, psychology is coming to appreciate the power and virtues of emotions in mental life, as well as their dangers.

2009, Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, page 41:

It is not driven by the fiction of optimization in the manner of Dr.^([sic]) Spock in Star Trek―obsessively using high-tech logic tools. Such a Spockish approach often tends to mis-characterize the nature of the problem when the environment is complex, turbulent and evolving.

2010, Ruth Hubbard, Gilles Paquet, The Case for Decentralized Federalism, page 211:

Resembling or characteristic of the Star Trek character Mr Spock, especially in being excessively logical and emotionless.


Civil War

Puritans had always been only a minority, albeit one with disproportionate influence. The Civil War of the 1640s, which culminated in the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the establishment of a republic, gave them supreme power.

2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 46:

Any of several civil wars, taken specifically.


Menehune

A member of a hidden race in Hawaiian mythology, often described as very small and having magical powers.


Appomattox

The river was named after the Appamatuck tribe of Native Americans (whose name is from Powhatan). The town was named after the county, which in turn was named after the river.

Appomattox County
Appomattox County#English

A town, the county seat of Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly known as Nebraska and Appomattox Station

A historic village in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly the county seat, also known as Clover Hill and Appomattox Court House


homocon

(US politics, often derogatory) A gay conservative.


Reb

"Jest here, or hereabouts," Disko replied, "earnin' my bread on the deep waters, an' dodgin' Reb privateers. […]"

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:

(US) Abbreviation of Rebel (“Confederate soldier”).


roughrider

noncommissioned officer
noncommissioned officer

(military, dated) A noncommissioned officer in the British cavalry whose duty is to assist the riding master.


hopium

Blend of hope + opium, as though it were a drug; likely modelled after copium; regarding the surface analysis as hope + -ium, see copium § Etymology.

Hopium can make you see potential in the grimmest set of circumstances.

2016, Tracy Schorn, Leave a Cheater, Gain a Life: The Chump Lady's Survival Guide, Hachette, →ISBN:

This way, we might avoid depression, panic, denial, and hopium for good or bad news, any of which renders us more unrealistic, unprepared, and unwell.

2020, Jack Adam Weber, Carolyn Baker, Climate Cure: Heal Yourself to Heal the Planet, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN:

(colloquial, derogatory) A clinging to unreasonable or unfounded hopes.


spooky PAC

(US politics) A type of political action committee which does not have to reveal its donors' identities, and which does not limit the amount of contributions by donors.


Billy Yank

American Civil War
American Civil War#English

(US, dated) A soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


Poochie-fication

From Poochie, a character added to boost the ratings of the fictional Itchy and Scratchy Show in The Simpsons episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", + -fication.

In case you're wondering, that extra, 3rd dimension they're going to be adding to the bears is going to be made entirely out of neon, sunglasses, and highlights for the fur of Mama and Sister. Basically, it's Poochie-fication of the Berenstain Bears.

2009 November 3, Amelie Gillette, “Berenstain Bears Movie To Change The Way You Think About Anthropomorphic Bears”, in The Onion AV Club:

In the 90s, this Poochie-fication of comics — wherein many titles grew consistently and thoroughly EXTREEEEME — reached its zenith.

2010 September 29, Glen Weldon, “In Praise of M.O.D.O.K: Why Gleefully Goofy Beats Broodingly Brutal”, in National Public Radio:

It’s rare when the Poochie-fication of a character actually works, but it totally did with Kyle Rayner. Rather than the earnest, Silver Age Hal Jordan, backed up by thousands of Corps members, and knowing what his job and destiny was, Rayner was given a ring by a dying Guardian, left alone as the last Green Lantern.

2011 June 16, Alex Zalban, “The 10 Best Green Lanterns Of All Time”, in MTV, archived from the original on 2011-12-26:

(entertainment, derogatory, uncommon) The process of adding a new character to a work of fiction, or altering characters already present, in a bid to make the work cooler or more extreme.


flag, motherhood and apple pie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-flag, motherhood and apple pie.wav

(US politics) Something that cannot be questioned because it appeals to patriotism and widely-held American traditional values.


kwyjibo

Taken from a nonsense word (supposedly meaning "A big, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin and a short temper") used in the 1990 episode "Bart the Genius" of the TV show The Simpsons.

On the Kwyjibo.... On steps 2-4, I've been raising my left (free) hand, swinging the yo overto^([sic]) the right and then bringing my right hand over under it.

1999, mike, “pocket rocket....”, in alt.sport.yo-yo (Usenet):

I have been yo-yoing for just over 1 year now, I have just recently learned kwyjibo, white buddha, and other tricks but I can't sleep a yo-yo for over a minute, without an amazing throw […]

2000, Allen MacInnis, “Anyone know how to sleep a yo-yo for a long time??”, in alt.sport.yo-yo (Usenet):


Obaman

Obaman (comparative more Obaman, superlative most Obaman)

more Obaman (comparative)
most Obaman (superlative)

(US politics) Of or pertaining to Barack Obama or to his ideology or policies.


Whitewatergate

From Whitewater + -gate, influenced by the original Watergate scandal.

(informal) The Whitewater controversy, a US political scandal that began with the real-estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates in the Whitewater Development Corporation.


decommunization

The act, process, or result of decommunizing.


brony

Blend of bro + pony, the earliest documented use dates to the 25th of October 2010 on the 4chan image boards.

But Sethisto thinks that for him and his fellow bronies, the show has "evolved way past being just another 22-minute commercial. They gave the team enough freedom to really make it awesome."

2011 September 7, Jaime Weinman, “Men who love ‘My Little Pony’”, in Maclean's, →ISSN:

(fandom slang) A (usually major, often male) fan of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, typically an adult male.

ব্রনি

fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic


abolitiondom

Abolitionists, specifically the northern states during the US Civil War.


Twitard

From twilight + -tard, after the pattern of Twihard.

If I go missing, please reference this, as Twitards have more than likely kidnapped me, all because I seem to be the one person on the planet not to understand the vampire hype.

2010, Felicia Mancini, “2009: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, in View Magazine, 7 January - 13 January 2010 issue:

(slang, derogatory) An avid fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series or the associated films.


Gulf War

(history) One of several wars fought at the Persian Gulf in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, principally the one from 1990 to 1991.


Obamatard

This collective mindset could be seen in the 2008 election, where it was discovered that trying to argue with Obamatards was futile.

2010 November 17, Dänk 666 [username], “Re: The Primary Aim Of Modern Warfare - George Orwell”, in alt.politics (Usenet):

(US, slang, derogatory) A supporter of Barack Obama.


Party of No

Coined in United States political commentary since 2008.

(neologism, derogatory, US politics) The Republican Party of the United States.


mugwumpery

(US politics, historical, slang) The acts and views of the mugwumps.


mugwumpism

en-noun

mugwumpism (countable and uncountable, plural mugwumpisms)

(US politics, slang) The acts and views of the mugwumps.


Hooverian

en-adj

Hooverian (comparative more Hooverian, superlative most Hooverian)

more Hooverian (comparative)
most Hooverian (superlative)

(economics) Of or relating to the politics or economics of Herbert Hoover.


blue wall

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

Mr. Martin says that Mr. Walz’s bio and skill set will make him an asset in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – three “blue wall” states crucial to winning the presidential election.

2024 August 6, Cameron Joseph, “What Tim Walz brings to the table as Kamala Harris’ VP pick”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

(US politics) A group of states known for consistently voting Democratic in presidential elections from 1992 through 2012.

battleground state
battleground state#English

(US politics) The three battleground states that were dislodged from the 1992-2012 group in 2016: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin.


ALM

all lives matter
all lives matter#English

(US politics) Initialism of all lives matter.


silent majority

en-noun

silent majority (plural silent majorities)

Popularized in contemporary usage by U.S. President Richard Nixon in a speech on November 3, 1969.
The older sense for "the dead" was used in English since the 19th century, and further back in Latin by the Roman writer Petronius, who wrote abiit ad plures (“he has gone to the majority”) to describe the dead.

Nixon took the field against his critics in his Nov. 3 plea to "the silent majority'" for backing of his Viet Nam policy.

1969 November 21, “Nation: The Politics of Polarization”, in Time:

As for leadership, she applauds New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, whose stern law and order policies have won over the "black silent majority," she says.

1998 June 7, Judith Levine, "What Went Wrong on the Way to Integration" (book review of Someone Else's House by Tamar Jacoby), Businessweek (retrieved 13 Aug 2012)

He has argued, however, that the demonstrations do not represent the silent majority of Japanese (presumably including those in the heartland) who are too anxious about the economy to give up on nuclear energy.

2012 July 27, Hiroko Tabuchi, “In Conservative Japan Enclave, Antinuclear Candidate Gains Ground”, in New York Times, retrieved 2012-08-13:

Prior to 1968, the right had taken the view that ‘ordinary people’ were still inherently conservative, which you can see echoed today in the ‘silent majority’ rhetoric of modern establishment conservatives.

2017, Angela Nagle, chapter 3, in Kill All Normies, Zero Books, →ISBN:

President Trump believes he represents the “silent majority” of the country against a dangerous, radical minority. He says as much on Twitter, frequently yelling “SILENT MAJORITY” at his followers.

2020 July 24, Jamelle Bouie, “There Is a ‘Great Silent Majority.’ But It Stands Against Trump.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(chiefly US politics) The largest portion of a demographic group or of the population of a political jurisdiction, which is considered to possess political and social views that are not openly declared, but that can nevertheless significantly affect voting patterns and social behavior.


Biden

Ultimately from Old French bouton (“button”), metonymic surname for a button-maker, of Germanic origin. See button.

Heading into 2016 and 2020, if you told the hotshots from Obamaworld that you thought Biden would be a good candidate, they would uniformly offer a look of infinite patience, tolerance and condescension and say something like, “Well, I could understand how someone would think that.”

2021 March 20, Maureen Dowd, “Old Pol, New Tricks”, in The New York Times:

Joe Biden, 46th and current president of the United States (2021–present).


redskirt

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-redskirt.wav

From red + skirt. Patterned after redshirt, which derived from the tendency for male security officers, who wore red shirts, to die on episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. Female crew members wore minidresses, but only one red-uniformed female character was killed during the series' run, in the episode "By Any Other Name."

Wasn't there that episode where the aliens turned everyone into little blocks of styrofoam, and one of the aliens turned a redskirt and a redshirt into cubes and crumbled one of them? And then Scotty got really drunk. I seem to recall that the redskirt bought it that time.

2007 February 10, Marc Goodman, “Re: Response to Steven Pinker's 'The Mystery of Consciousness'”, in alt.religion.kibology (Usenet):

(fiction, fandom slang, rare) An unimportant or expendable female character, especially one introduced only to be killed in order to underscore the peril faced by important characters.


Clintonite

A political supporter of Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton.


Clintonization

November 10, 2016, David French, "What Comes Next for Never Trump" in National Review Online https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/11/never-trump-movement-future-trump-presidency/
It's imperative that conservatives continue to resist the Clintonization of the GOP.

Adoption of the policies or attitudes of Bill Clinton's American presidency.


Roosevelt elk

Named after US president Theodore Roosevelt.

Cervus canadensis roosevelti, the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America.


Space Race

The informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to launch unmanned satellites, send people into space and land them on the Moon.


GOPer

(US politics) A member of the Republican Party.


balance the ticket

en-verb

balance the ticket (third-person singular simple present balances the ticket, present participle balancing the ticket, simple past and past participle balanced the ticket)

balances the ticket (present singular third-person)
balancing the ticket (participle present)
balanced the ticket (participle past)
balanced the ticket (past)

(US politics) To pick a vice-presidential candidate who represents a different constituency than the presidential candidate.


American Empire

The one thing that Noam Chomsky and Paul Wolfowitz might agree upon is the reality of an American Empire.

2005, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., “The American Empire? Not so Fast”, in World Policy Journal, volume 22, number 1, page 43:

The United States of America together with its allies, viewed as having the qualities characteristic of an empire.


Romnesia

Blend of Romney (“Mitt Romney”) + amnesia.

blend

When the Boston Globe asked Mitt about the incident in 1994, he provided a classic mind-numbing “Romnesia” evasion: “I don't have any memory of what she is referring to, although I certainly can't say it could not have been me.”

2011 November 22, Ronald B. Scott, Mitt Romney: An Inside Look at the Man and His Politics, Lyons Press, →ISBN:

In a typical display of what Kossack AlyoshaKaramazov calls "Romnesia," the all-but-official presidential nominee conveniently couldn't remember the incident in which, aided by some of his pals, he attacked a gay student at his prep school and, while others held the boy to ground, whacked off his non-conformist long hair because "he can’t look like that."

2012 May 11, Timothy Lange, “The bully's bully: Mitt Romney's consigliere Eric Fehrnstrom”, in Daily Kos, archived from the original on 2013-05-24:

The fact that Mitch Daniels apparently has forgotten we are at war in Afghanistan—even though he served in the White House when we began the war more than a decade ago—is a fitting tribute to the Romnesia that has infested the Republican Party.

2012 May 18, Jed Lewison, “Another dazzling display of Romnesia: Mitch Daniels says we're in 'peacetime'”, in Daily Kos, retrieved 2012-10-19:

If you say you’re for equal pay for equal work, but you keep refusing to say whether or not you’d sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work — you might have Romnesia. If you say women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care — you might have a case of Romnesia. If you say you’ll protect a woman’s right to choose, but you stand up at a primary debate and said that you’d be delighted to sign a law outlying — outlawing that right to choose in all cases — man, you’ve definitely got Romnesia.

2012 October 19, Barack Obama, “Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event — Fairfax, VA”, in The White House, retrieved 2012-10-19:

This is more than Romnesia / Or any other Romney brainteaser. / This is cognitive dissonance.

2013 September 5, Timothy J. Callahan, Poet Against Israel, Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 418:

(US politics, of Mitt Romney) A propensity to claim to have forgotten, or act like one has forgotten, one's past deeds and political positions.


Obamaton

I loved it when the Obamatons started chanting "Yes we can yes we can yeswe can" in the middle of it as if it were some sort of religious ritual.

2008 November 5, Rabid Weasel Lawson [username], “Re: O'bamma gives acceptance speech”, in rec.martial-arts (Usenet):

Rather than following the MSM lead and merely parroting the Obamatons' talking points after the release of previously-classified memos this week, Thiessen actually examined the documents.

2009 August 27, Obama Nation Is An Abomination [username], “Re: America's Top 10 Enemies' List”, in alt.non.racisml (Usenet):

You just know the Obamatons will blame Bush.

2010 July 2, Frogwatch [username], “Lost hope, No Change”, in sci.military.naval (Usenet):

(US, slang, derogatory) A person who follows U.S. president Barack Obama blindly.


Dothraki

Coined by American writer and television producer George R. R. Martin.
Its fictional derivation is borrowed from Dothraki Dothraki (literally “[we] ride”).

bor+

For example, in Dothraki something done in secret is done torga essheyi—literally, “under a roof”.

2010 September-October, Jim Henry, “Dothraki and Esperanto: an interview with language creator David J. Peterson”, in Usona Esperantisto, →ISSN, page 9:

Dothraki has four vowels.

2011 October 15, Stephen D. Rogers, A Dictionary of Made-Up Languages: From Adûnaic to Elvish, Zaum to Klingon— the Anwa (Real) Origins of Invented Lexicons, Avon: Adams Media, →ISBN, →OL, page 54:

You want to learn a really impressive second language? Try Dothraki. Win over any man in my guild.

2012 October 4, “Andy's Ancestry” (2:51), in The Office (US), season 9, episode 3, spoken by Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson):

constructed language
constructed language

A constructed language created for, and spoken in, the Game of Thrones television adaptation in 2011.


Electoral College

Each state's Electoral College submits its votes to the President of the Senate.

In later years Colonel Kent has been much in public life. He was an alternate delegate to the National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln in 1860, and in 1864 a member of the New Hampshire Electoral College, voting for Lincoln and Johnson.

1898, Charles N. Kent, “Field and Staff of the Seventeenth”, in History of the Seventeenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1863, Concord, N.H., →OCLC, page 44:

Oliver Wolcott, Jr., in summing up the election reports for his father at the end of November, pointed to the Rutledge faction as holding the presidency within its hands; the result would turn upon the balloting of the South Carolina electoral college, he stated, and Edward Rutledge was believed to command its decision. His reports from all over the Union indicated that Adams lacked but three votes for a majority. His fear was that Rutledge’s disgust with the Jay treaty would give the decision to Jefferson.

1957, Stephen G. Kurtz, The Presidency of John Adams: The Collapse of Federalism, 1795-1800, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 171–172:

Although not now generally known, Guilford had a vital part in the presidential election of 1800, one of its citizens, John Noyes, being a member of the Vermont electoral college, which supported Thomas Jefferson, who was opposed by Aaron Burr, each receiving the same number of electoral votes.

1961, “Guilford, "The Metropolis"”, in Official History of Guilford, Vermont, 1678-1961 With Genealogies and Biographical Sketches, Town of Guilford, →OCLC, page 157:

(US politics) An electoral college chosen, within a state, to formally cast that state's votes for the president and vice president of the United States.

кале́гія вы́баршчыкаў

body chosen to elect the president and vice president of the US

In accordance with these opinions I believe that the ancient and outmoded Electoral College system should be abolished and that the people should vote directly in all the states for President and Vice President. The Electoral College was established in the beginning of our history for the same reasons which actuated our forefathers in providing that United States senators should be elected by the legislatures rather than by the people of the respective states.

1954, Alben W. Barkley, That Reminds Me, Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 276:

(US politics) All of the electoral colleges of the United States, considered as one body.


DOMA

Defense of Marriage Act
w:Defense of Marriage Act

(US politics) Acronym of Defense of Marriage Act.


Copperhead

After the dangerous copperhead snake, to which propagandists of the Republican Party compared Democrats interested in appeasement.

(US, historical, slang) A northerner who sympathized with the South or wanted to end hostilities during the American Civil War.


teahadist

Figures a teahadist would define jingoism as love of country.

2011 August 1, Bill Baker, “Re: Haskell Breaks His Hand”, in alt.fan.rush-limbaugh (Usenet):

The anti-American teahadist screeches in outrage that Obama dares to cut taxes in order to help veterans.

2011 August 6, Ray Fischer, “Re: More Obama Spending Won’t Do It and Stocks Know It”, in alt.politics.liberalism (Usenet):

2011 September 20, REDRUM KILGORE [username], “Re: More Funny Stuff From The Obama White House? It's good to see President Obama finally giving up on any attempt at compromise with teahadists!”, in alt.fan.howard-stern (Usenet):

(neologism, derogatory) An affiliate of the Tea Party movement, particularly an overzealous one.


teatard

You teatard birthers are delightfully funny.

2010 November 24, JLS, “Re: Closing-in: Supremes Confer On No Birth Certificate Eligibility Crisis”, in alt.politics (Usenet):

As if we needed further evidence that the teatard "austerity" "plan" was a stupid idea.

2011 February 28, Neoconis_Ignoramus [username], “Teatard "plan" would cost 700,000 jobs, cut gdp growth”, in alt.fan.rush-limbaugh (Usenet):

You must be a teatard moping over FOUR MORE YEARS! <SNICKER!!!!!!!>

2012 November 28, ChasNemo [username], “Re: WATCH KARL ROVES HEAD EXPLOAD! I really, really enjoyed that! Thanks for sharing!! It would be great to see similar footage of other bloated heads exploding (Rush Limbaugh, etc.!!!”, in alt.radio.talk.dr-laura (Usenet):

(US, slang, derogatory) A supporter of the Tea Party movement.


Shiloh

From Biblical Hebrew שִׁילֹה \ שִׁלֹה (shiló).

bor

שִׁילֹה \ שִׁלֹה

Shiloh
Shiloh (biblical city)
Shiloh (given name)

A number of places in the United States:

An unincorporated community in Marengo County, Alabama.

An unincorporated community in Illinois Township, Pope County, Arkansas.

A historical district in Springdale, Arkansas.

A former village in Brevard County, Florida.

St. Clair County
St. Clair County#English

A village in St. Clair County, Illinois.

An unincorporated community in Cass Township, Sullivan County, Indiana.

An unincorporated community in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Issaquena County
Issaquena County#English

A ghost town in Issaquena County, Mississippi.

Cumberland County
Cumberland County#English

A borough in Cumberland County, New Jersey.

census-designated place
census-designated place

Montgomery County
Montgomery County#English

A census-designated place in Harrison Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.

A census-designated place in West Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania.

A census-designated place in Sumter County, South Carolina.

An unincorporated community in Hardin County, Tennessee, location of the Battle of Shiloh.

An unincorporated community in Gregg County, Texas.

An unincorporated community in Waller County, Texas.

An unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia.

King George County
King George County#English

An unincorporated community in King George County, Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Pulaski County, Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Stafford County, Virginia.

Hampshire County
Hampshire County#English

An unincorporated community in Hampshire County, West Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia.

An unincorporated community in Tyler County, West Virginia.

A number of townships in the United States, listed under Shiloh Township.


ACU

American Conservative Union
w:American Conservative Union

(US politics) Initialism of American Conservative Union.


DCU

Desert Camouflage Uniform
w:Desert Camouflage Uniform

(military, US) Initialism of Desert Camouflage Uniform.


DCU

I think the Batcave came from Batman's radio show. Renee Montoya, Harley Quinn from the animated series. Hey, before the Adam West show did anybody know Alfred was British? (maybe.) And a lot of the recent redesigns across the DCU have come from the Timmverse, including Robin's spiffy new duds.

2007 September 29, Denny Colt, “Re: JLA Movie: You Knew It Would Suck But This Badly?”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet), message-ID <1191098202.149049.200890@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>:

Initialism of DC Universe; synonym of DCverse.

Coordinate term: MCU

Initialism of DC Cinematic Universe. The DC Comics based interconnected filmic universe to be launched in the 2020s, successor to the defunct DCEU cinematic universe.


Sister Souljah moment

en-noun

Sister Souljah moment (plural Sister Souljah moments)

Referring to presidential candidate Bill Clinton publicly criticizing activist Sister Souljah for her statements about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

The embodiment of the no-compromise style the public disdains, Bachmann seems congenitally incapable of such a move unless it's a reverse Sister Souljah moment, where she castigates her party for being insufficiently beholden to its base.

2011 October 19, Robert Schlesinger, “The GOP Needs to Escape the GOP”, in U.S. News & World Report, volume 3, number 33, page 18:

Determined to get that office, to get that house, he's shown not a single "Sister Souljah" moment, not a moment of independence from the people to whom he's sworn his allegiance.

2012 September 17, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Chris Matthews (actor), via MSNBC:

But this wasn't some sort of Sister Souljah moment, where Romney called out his fellow conservatives in order to curry favor with the center.

2012 October 6, Ross Douthat, “It Could Be His Party”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US politics) A politician's public repudiation of extremism perceived to be allied or associated with them or their political party.

1992 Los Angeles riots
Bill Clinton
Sister Souljah


Disneyesque

en-adj

Disneyesque (comparative more Disneyesque, superlative most Disneyesque)

more Disneyesque (comparative)
most Disneyesque (superlative)

This place is EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World, a theme park cum world exposition, a kind of world's fair that allows for a continual Disneyesque rewriting of history, a Distory, as Stephen Fjellman has called it. Disney World offers its guests multiple pleasures within the context of Disneyesque representations of race and gender.

1995, Ramona Fernandez, “Pachuco Mickey”, Elizabeth Bell, Lynda Haas, Laura Sells (ed.), From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture, Indiana University Press, part 3, chapter 15, 236

In Ms. Murray’s mature work, eccentrically shaped or multipanel canvases fused Cubism’s shattered forms and Surrealism’s suggestive biomorphism with the scale and some of the angst of Abstract Expressionism and more than a touch of Disneyesque humor and motion.

2007 August 13, Roberta Smith, “Elizabeth Murray, 66, Artist of Vivid Forms, Dies”, in New York Times:

Reminiscent of the work or style of the animator Walt Disney or his Walt Disney Company.


Disneyan

Disneyan (comparative more Disneyan, superlative most Disneyan)

more Disneyan (comparative)
most Disneyan (superlative)

Of or relating to the American animator Walt Disney or his Walt Disney Company.

迪士尼的

of or relating to Walt Disney or his Walt Disney Company


Metropolis

A city, the county seat of Massac County, Illinois, United States.

A ghost town in Elko County, Nevada, United States.


Berner

From Bernie + -er. Named after American politician Bernie Sanders.

named-after

Leaving City Hall with a smile, he mirrored the Berner’s excitement, but for Hillary. “She has the strongest record,” he said.

2016 June 6, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, “As SF ‘feels the Bern’ and touts #ImWithHer, turnout numbers strong”, in SF Examiner:

Nick Merrill, Clinton’s press secretary, issued this response on Twitter, citing the words of Mike Casca, Sanders’ deputy communications director and a “die-hard” Berner.

2016 October 1, Reena Flores, “Hillary Clinton comments on Bernie Sanders supporters in leaked recording”, in CBS News:

Some, like the Indivisible network that has spawned more than 5,000 chapters nationwide, have tapped into the same organizational formula the Berners did.

2017 April 11, Joe Garofoli, “Fueled by Trump resistance, Sanders’ influence grows with Dems”, in San Francisco Chronicle:

"We have almost enough Berners to hold the majority. It's real close," he said.

2017 July 21, Eric Bradner, Gregory Krieg, “Sanders' Iowa roots continue to bloom -- whether or not he runs in 2020”, in CNN:

(US politics) A supporter of Bernie Sanders.


Bamboo Curtain

After iron curtain, the original Cold War “curtain” (in Europe). First used in Time magazine in 1949.

Gen. Wego Chiang, commander-in-chief of the Combined Service Forces, called on leaders of the free world to design an effective global strategy to safeguard world peace and to rescue the enslaved people behind the Bamboo Curtain.

1982 November 7, “ROC to aid joint security”, in Free China Weekly, volume XXIII, number 44, Taipei, page 1:

“A new bamboo curtain may be coming down on Southeast Asia,” he worried. This would not be a hard-and-fast wall like the Iron Curtain; nor would it be part of some newly imagined Asian domino theory.

2008 September, Robert D. Kaplan, “Lifting the Bamboo Curtain”, in The Atlantic:

As it had been for other Western reporters getting their first look behind the Bamboo Curtain, it was all a marvel for Payne. After all, here was a country that less than a quarter of a century ago had been destitute after three decades of revolutionary warfare.

2015, James McGrath Morris, Eye on the Struggle, Amistad, →ISBN, page 321:

(historical) The political and ideological barrier between the communist and capitalist states of Asia during the Cold War.

Бамбукавая заслона

political barrier between communist and capitalist in Asia

ബാംബൂ കർട്ടൻ

bāmbū kaṟṭṭaṉ


Star Trekkish

en-adj

Star Trekkish (comparative more Star Trekkish, superlative most Star Trekkish)

more Star Trekkish (comparative)
most Star Trekkish (superlative)

When her predatory lovers die — first with crystal shards embedded in their skulls and then just vanishing in a sparkly Star Trekkish mass of bubbles — she believes that she is killing them with her deadly vagina.

1984, Florida Atlantic University, Science Fiction Research Association, Fantasy review, Volume 7, Issues 64-74, page 43

AT&T Microelectronics and Go Corp. envision future "personal communicators" that will include devices ranging from tablet computers with fax transceivers and wireless data transmission to a "Star Trekkish" communicator with a writing pad.

1992, InfoWorld, volume 14, number 29, page 31:

Biosphere 2, that very real quasi-scientific experiment in the Arizona desert in which seven men and women donned Star Trekkish jumpsuits and sealed themselves inside a domed ecocosm, is an eerie parallel to the Alternative 3 plot.

2004, Jonathan Vankin, Joh Whalen, The 80 Greatest Conspiracies Of All Time, page 137:

"Not to get too Star Trekkish," Miriam said. "But I'm also an empath".

2008, John Ringo, Travis S. Taylor, Claws That Catch, page 271:

Originally developed in the 1950s, the square tomato, officially known by the Star Trekkish designation “Cultivar VF-145,” was designed solely with machines in mind.

2011, Rebecca Rupp, How Carrots Won the Trojan War, page 329:

Especially of style or technology: like that of the fictional world of the Star Trek media franchise.


Lewinsky

From a Slavic language, which added a patronymic suffix to the ultimately Hebrew root לוי (leví, “priest”), an occupational surname.


Grantism

From Grant + -ism, after US President Ulysses S. Grant. First used by Senator Charles Sumner in a speech in 1872.

(US politics, derogatory) corruption and cronyism in government

Charles Sumner
Grantism
Ulysses S. Grant


Prop H8

(derogatory, US politics) The Californian proposition which restricted marriage to one woman and one man.


Star Warsy

Star Warsy (comparative more Star Warsy, superlative most Star Warsy)

more Star Warsy (comparative)
most Star Warsy (superlative)

There's undoubtedly a grain of truth in that view — like most snippets of technojargon, the word "modem" may sound needlessly Star Warsy.

1983, Ms. Magazine, Volume 12, Issues 1-6, unknown page

He came back from death, not as a spooky, Star Warsy, flickering, ghostly image but in real flesh and blood.

2007, Peter Downey, Ben Shaw, Everything You Want to Know about Jesus: Well ... Maybe Not Everything but Enough to Get You Started, Zondervan, published 2007, →ISBN, page 27:

“We're back to the battle again? The war between light and dark? Kind of Star Wars'''y, don't you think?"

2010, Lisa Gardner, Live to Tell, Bantam Books, published 2010, →ISBN, page 151:

(informal) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the science fiction franchise Star Wars.

stel-milita

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Star Wars.


Star Trekky

Star Trekky (comparative more Star Trekky, superlative most Star Trekky)

more Star Trekky (comparative)
most Star Trekky (superlative)

Tom's little black box enables you to speak to a computer in a voice that it recognizes and obeys. It's all very "Star Trekky" and terribly exciting to see in action.

1982, Robert Daniel Fierro, The New American Entrepreneur: How to Get Off the Fast Track into a Business of Your Own, Morrow, published 1982, →ISBN, page 31:

Karla began talking all Star Trekky again—the best thing about her. She said, "I don't believe human beings store memory in our brains exclusively—there simply aren't enough storage slots or interconnective possibilities. And so if not in the brain, then where? […]

1995, Douglas Coupland, Microserfs, Harper Perennial, published 2008, →ISBN, page 66:

"Mobile phones, computers — a whole lot of Star Trekky kind of technology" is how Jeanine, my new supervisor, explained it.

2005, Linda Armstrong Kelly, Joni Rodgers, No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me, Thorndike Press, published 2005, →ISBN, page 264:

(informal) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the science fiction franchise Star Trek.

stel-vojaĝa

Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Star Trek.


pegasister

"Bronies" and "pegasisters," as some fans are called, point to the quality of animation and humor as what makes the series enjoyable.

2011, Christina Belisle, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic review, Reporter, 30 September 2011, page 9

The group included four "Pegasisters," as the small minority of female bronies sometimes call themselves in this male-dominated world.

2011 November 5, Vauhni Vara, Ann Zimmerman, “Hey, Bro, That's My Little Pony! Guys' Interest Mounts in Girly TV Show”, in The Wall Street Journal:

“I’d say 80 percent of my friends are into it,” says the “pegasister,” slang for a female fan. “My dorm loves it. We get together to watch the shows, and we eat and laugh.”

2012 January 11, Reed Tucker, “Horsing around!”, in New York Post:

(slang) A female fan of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, typically an adult.


SALT

(politics) Acronym of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.


pork barrel

As the President said in his veto message, "It should also come as no surprise that over time the program has attained distinct flavor of pork barrel."

1973 April 10, James T. Lynn, “Pork-Barrel Waste”, in The New York Times:

President Reagan used part of his State of the Union address to berate Congress for sending him catchall spending bills laden with pork barrel benefits for "cranberry research, blueberry research, the study of crawfish, and the commercialization of wild flowers."

1988 February 24, Tom Kenworthy, “Reagan Drops Bid to Cut Pork-Barrel Spending”, in The Washington Post:

Peacekeeping initiatives […] can dangle pork-barrel funding as an incentive to leaders who abide by the peace, enhancing their power and electoral popularity.

2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 380:

Similarly, earmarked, pork-barrel spending[…]is an invaluable tool for assembling bipartisan majorities for legislation because it helps members of Congress see the good a bill does for their constituents.

2019 August 25, Greg Weiner, “The Shallow Cynicism of ‘Everything Is Rigged’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

With an election not much more than a year away, distributing HS2's money into roads is pork barrel politics. Or at least it would be if the money existed.

2023 November 29, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Can we save HS2 to Crewe?”, in RAIL, number 997, page 3:

(chiefly US politics, often attributively) State funds as assigned for local or regional expenditure; especially, central money used for regional projects which are eyecatching or designed to appeal to voters.


ARPA

American Rescue Plan Act
w:American Rescue Plan Act

(US politics) Acronym of American Rescue Plan Act.


K/S

Initialism from the names of James T. Kirk and Spock, separated by a slash (/).

(fandom slang, often attributively) Fan fiction where the characters James T. Kirk and Spock from the science fiction media franchise Star Trek are shown in a homosexual relationship.


C$

Canadian dollar
Confederate States dollar


Reaganian

Reaganian (comparative more Reaganian, superlative most Reaganian)

more Reaganian (comparative)
most Reaganian (superlative)

Of or relating to Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911–2004), 40th president of the United States (1981–1989) and 33rd governor of California (1967–1975).


iron triangle

Over the years the defense industry has become a de facto participant in the policy-making process. As in other areas dominated by powerful corporate interests, a policy sub-government or “iron triangle” has emerged. […] The creation of an “iron triangle” takes time and active efforts of its participants. All three sides work to maintain it as economic circumstances change.

1981, Gordon Adams, The Iron Triangle: The Politics of Defense Contracting, New York: The Council on Economic Priorities, →ISBN, pages 24–25:

They see the raids as evidence that the “iron triangle” of bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen that in 50 years has turned Japan into the world's second-largest economy has broken down when there is nothing to replace it.

1996 December 7, Velisarios Kattoulas, International Herald Tribune, “Corruption Scandals Rack Tokyo's ‘Iron Triangle’”, in International Herald Tribune, →ISSN:

(US politics, political science) The policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy (executive, sometimes called “government agencies”), and interest groups or lobbyists.


Yellow Dog Democrat

en-noun

Yellow Dog Democrat (plural Yellow Dog Democrats)

From the claim that such Democrats would sooner vote for a yellow dog, if it ran on the Democratic ticket, than a Republican.

(US politics, dated) A Democrat, especially a Southern one, who votes a straight party ticket; one who invariably votes for Democratic candidates.


noromo

Being a hard-core "noromo" (parlance for "no romancer," someone who believes the show's UST, or unresolved sexual tension, is the key to its vitality), I have also flamed "shippers" ("relationshippers," those who want Mulder and Scully to get it on in the film) with now embarrassing vituperations, such as, "Why don't you just go get the lame job you're destined for at the state budget office?"

1998 June 22, John Cloud, “Cinema: An X-Phile Confesses”, in Time:

There had always been a separation between the noromos and the shippers, but at the start of the eighth season, another significant division was born.

2002, Tom Kessenich, EXaminations: An Unauthorized Look at Seasons 6-9 of The X-Files, Featuring the Reviews of Unbound I, Trafford Publishing (2002), page 5

Once it became generally accepted that Mulder and Scully were romantically involved off screen, the noromos stopped watching in disgust, while the shippers lamented not being allowed to witness the transition in the relationship.

2002, Elizabeth Weinbloom, "'THE X-FILES'; A Botched Romance" (letter to the editor), The New York Times, 2 June 2002

(X-Files fandom slang) A person who opposes the idea of a romantic relationship between Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.


Broken Glass Republican

Broken Glass Republican (plural Broken Glass Republicans)

From the claim that such Republicans would crawl through broken glass in order to vote Republican.

(US politics, uncommon) A Republican who invariably votes for Republican candidates.


bat'leth

From Klingon betleH, short for batlh'etlh (“sword of honor”).

It is a bat'leth. It belonged to my father... It has been in our family for ten generations.

1990 November 5, “Reunion”, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 4, episode 7, spoken by Worf (Michael Dorn):

The U.K. is looking to clean up its streets with a knife amnesty program, so you can imagine their surprise when a Klingon, er, excuse me, a Klingon fan, turned in a replica Bat’leth over the weekend.

2008 August 25, Jack Loftus, “U.K. Knife Amnesty Program Turns Up Klingon Bat’leth, No Sign of Worf”, in Gizmodo Australia, archived from the original on 2016-03-04:

Officers searched the area but didn't find the robber or the weapon, which was described as a "bat'leth."

2009 February 4, Kieran Nicholson, “Klingon sword used in two Colorado Springs heists”, in Denver Post:

Howard: Why did you bring that?
Sheldon: No weapon strikes more fear into a man's heart than a Klingon bat'leth.
Leonard: OK, let's get clear on something. We just gonna tell this guy to transfer all your stuff back into your account and then be on our way. No one's bat'lething anybody.

2011 March 31, “The Zarnecki Incursion” (15:59), in The Big Bang Theory, season 4, episode 19, spoken by Howard Wolowitz, Sheldon Cooper, and Leonard Hofstadter (Simon Helberg, Jim Parsons, and Johnny Galecki):

(science fiction) A double-ended curved blade weapon with spiked protrusions, controlled by grips along its back, used by Klingons in Star Trek.


imzadi

From the American science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which it is a term of endearment used by the Betazoid race, said to mean "beloved."

I have a 2 year old son, and my major interests include science fiction TV (Star Trek, X-Files), music, books and movies. […] I am looking for my imzadi, and hope to meet her someday.

1994 August 30, djsst22 [username], “GWF ISO SF”, in pgh.singles (Usenet):

So I'll probably run about the neighborhood with my imzadi (what I've decided to call my 'best-friend-person' now. It's a Star Trek term, Betazoid stuff.) […]

1999 October 28, Lisa: DreaManiChicKuriousStarfire [username], “Re: Halloween: What are your plans?”, in alt.drugs.psychedelics (Usenet):

I push beyond my body
I push beyond this world of mine
Drunk without wine
myself my imzadi

2001, Cari Lynn, “To Touch The Face of God”, in Journey Without a Map, Writers Club Press, →ISBN, page 20:

(fandom slang) A person with whom one shares a profound spiritual bond; a soulmate.


Destiel

His overt revulsion is caused by the Wincest fan fiction — the Sam-slash-Dean pairing that also alarms Dean in the epigraph of this paper — and to a Dean-slash-Castiel (or Destiel) kink meme in which Castiel has a crab claw for a hand.

2011, Brigid Cherry, “Becky Rosen, Fan Identity, and Interactivity in Supernatural”, in Stacey Abbott, David Lavery, editors, TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of, Supernatural , ECW Press, →ISBN, page 204:

All of our "feels" are on the line again as they continue to be with anything that involves Johnlock (thanks a lot, Moffat), Merthur and Destiel.

2013, Keren Lopez, "Yahoo buys Tumblr, leaves fandoms in despair", La Voz Weekly (De Anza College), Volume 46, Number 27, 3 June 2013, page 8

I'm always happy to write some sappy Destiel one shot (a one chapter story, often focused solely on fluff, or pure cuddles) when writer's block is making work on Phoenix difficult.

2013, Evangeline Warren, "Confessions of a Teenage Fangirl", INKredible!, Issue 4, Summer 2013, page 21

(fandom slang) The ship of characters Castiel and Dean Winchester from the television series Supernatural.


Wincest

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From Win(chester) + -cest. Possibly influenced by wincest.

Wincest stories often take their transgressive cues from the text itself; often when Sam and Dean are seducing each other in Wincest stories, the more reluctant of the two is convinced to engage in the relationship when the other reiterates that they are already outsiders in society, already isolated from the “normality” of their world—why should the prohibition of incest stand in their way when they have already broken so many other laws?

2009, Emily Turner, "Scary Just Got Sexy: Transgression in Supernatural and Its Fanfiction", in In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural (ed. Supernatural.tv), BenBella Books (2009), page 159

Instead, she suggests, the romanticized, paratextual Wincest slash fiction offers Sam and Dean a redemptive happiness that they are perpetually denied by the show's writers both in a diegetic sense (via Chuck Shurley, the show's writer/prophet who publishes novels based on the boys' adventures) and in a non-diegetic sense (via Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, and the show's returning writers).

2011, Darren Elliott-Smith, “'Go Be Gay for That Poor, Dead Intern:' Conversion Fantasies and Gay Anxieties in Supernatural”, in Stacey Abbott, David Lavery, editors, TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of, Supernatural , ECW Press, →ISBN, page 106:

Supernatural fandom features some of the more controversial iterations of slash, predominantly Wincest (the incestuous coupling of the show's protagonists, the Winchester brothers), […]

2013, Henry Jenkins & Suzanne Scott, "Textual Poachers, Twenty Years Later", in Henry Jenkins, Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Routledge (2013), page xxxiii

(fandom slang) The incestuous slash ship of the fictional brothers Dean and Sam Winchester from the television series Supernatural.