walk in the snow

en-noun

walk in the snow (plural walks in the snow)

From a remark by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Eliott Trudeau (1919-2000) on February 29, 1984, describing how he made his decision to retire.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters yesterday he made the decision to put an end to almost 16 years in office after a long, solitary walk Tuesday night through a blinding Ottawa blizzard. . . . "It was a great walk in the snow."

1984 March 1, Charlotte Montgomery, Thomas Walkom, “Pierre Trudeau steps down. New leader likely by end of June”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto, page 1:

"I went for a walk in the snow last night—and I'm staying." So said Jean Chretien on January 15th, varying the phrase with which Pierre Trudeau announced his sudden resignation as Canada's prime minister in 1984.

2002, “Shuffle in the snow; Politics in Canada”, in The Economist, volume 362, number 8256, page 49:

Even in defeat, Ignatieff could not shake even one more Trudeau comparison. Trudeau's historic long walk in the snow came in February 1984.

2006 December 4, Mike Blanchfield, Norma Greenaway, “Ignatieff takes his own walk in the snow”, in Calgary Herald, Alberta, page A9:

(Canada, chiefly politics, idiomatic) An occasion when a momentous career decision is made, especially a decision to resign or retire.


clawback

clawback (countable and uncountable, plural clawbacks)

Deverbal from claw back. In the financial senses, refers to something being "clawed back", or reclaimed; in the sense of a flatterer, it suggests the idea of a person's back being scratched (see scratch someone's back).

(US taxation law) Money that a party is entitled to keep under one tax provision but is taken by another tax provision.


sponson

sponsons (plural)
sponsing (alternative)

He and Gerald usually challenged the rollers in a sponson canoe when Gerald was there for the weekend; or, when Lansing came down, the two took long swims seaward or cruised about in Gerald's dory, clad in their swimming-suits ; and Selwyn's youth became renewed in a manner almost ridiculous,[…].

1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

(nautical, aviation, military) A projection from the side of an aircraft, watercraft, or land vehicle.


sponson

en-verb

sponson (third-person singular simple present sponsons, present participle sponsoning, simple past and past participle sponsoned)

sponsons (present singular third-person)
sponsoning (participle present)
sponsoned (participle past)
sponsoned (past)
sponsing (alternative)

The belted cruiser Pamiat Azova or Remembrance of Azoff, is 377 feet long. She is an improved Dmitri Dontskoi, and carries her two 8-inch guns in sponsoned barbettes on either broadside

1899, John Scott-Keltie, editor, Statesman's Year-Book 1899:

(nautical, aviation, military, transitive, often with the particle "out") To mount on a projection on the side of a vessel.


FBS

en-noun

FBS (countable and uncountable, plural FBSs)

forward-based system
forward-based system#English

(military) Initialism of forward-based system.


CGN

CGN (countable and uncountable, plural CGNs)

(military, nautical) nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser (warship)


PQ

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Parti Québécois, a political party of the province of Quebec, Canada.


hypocentre

hypocentres (plural)
hypocenter (alternative)

From hypo- + centre; from Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hupo-, “under-, sub-”) and Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron, “centre”).

derived

(military) The point on the surface below an atmospheric explosion; ground zero


sand crab

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


LEA

local electoral area
w:local electoral area

(Ireland, politics) Initialism of local electoral area.


yari

(weaponry) Any of various sizes of spear used in Japanese martial arts.


ASW

“You know, I really didn't have much to do with Vietnam. In the summer of 1964, I went to work for the assistant CNO for submarine warfare, Op 02. But that summer, Op 03—that's surface warfare—was developing new ASW strategies.”

1996, William Martin, Annapolis, New York: Tom Doherty Associates, published 2010, →ISBN, page 761:

(military) Abbreviation of antisubmarine warfare.


ability to pay

en-noun

ability to pay (plural abilities to pay)

ability-to-pay taxation

an ability-to-pay approach

Progressive taxes attempt to reduce the tax burden of people with a lower ability to pay.

(taxation, often attributive) An individual's level of wealth or income, as a measure of the tax rate they can afford to pay.


rebated

en-adj

rebated (comparative more rebated, superlative most rebated)

more rebated (comparative)
most rebated (superlative)

(military, of the rim of a firearm cartridge) Having a smaller diameter than the main body of the cartridge, from which it is separated by an extractor groove narrower than both.


victualling

The High Treasurer of the Armie […] hath […] the superintendencie of the victualling of the campe […]

1598, Robert Barret, The Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres, London: William Posonby, Book 5, Dialogue 4, p. 164:

[…] Lieutenant Hirsch appeared with a sheaf of signals in his hand. He took these from the young man and read them through. Mostly they dealt with routine matters of the fuelling and victualling, but one from the Third Naval Member’s office was unexpected.

1957, Neville Shute, chapter 2, in On the Beach, New York: William Morrow & Co:

(especially nautical, military) The process of supplying food.

1624, Patrick Simson (editor), The Historie of the Church, London: John Bellamie, Book 2, Centurie VI, p. 361,
Zosymas a monke is commended […] for the miracle of the Lyon, who slew the Asse that caried his victualing to Caesarea, and likewise the Lyon by his mandate was compelled to beare that same burden which the Asse had borne to the portes of Caesarea.

He was oblig’d often to set upon the Enemy, and skirmish with them; for he wanted both Victualling for his Men, and Forage for his Horse […]

1693, George Smalridge, “Julius Caesar”, in Plutarch’s Lives, Translated from the Greek by Several Hands, volume 4, London: Jacob Tonson, page 459:

[…] as each man has a vote in all the affairs of his parish, and for his own sake must wish well to the public, the land is let in very small farms, which makes employment for a greater number of hands, and makes more victualling of all kinds be raised.

1796, Thomas Spence, The Meridian Sun of Liberty; or, the Whole Rights of Man Displayed and Most Accurately Defined, London: for the author, page 10:

(especially nautical, military) Provisions of food.


Death Valley driver

en-noun

Death Valley driver (plural Death Valley drivers)

(wrestling) A move in which the wrestler throws the opponent off their shoulders and falls in the direction that the opponent's head is facing, driving the opponent's head or back into the mat.


Amerikkkan

A respelling of American to incorporate the letters KKK.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Amerikkkan.

(slang, derogatory, politics, ethnic slur, offensive) An American; generally used in depicting an American person as fascist or racist.


BOQ

B.O.Q. (alternative)
B. O. Q. (alternative)

(military) Initialism of bachelors' officers' quarters.


tommy cooker

(slang, military, archaic) The M4 Sherman tank, due to its likelihood to "brew up" and explode after being hit by German tank fire in World War II.


SLUF

(US, military, aviation, slang)(dated) Short Little Ugly Fucker, nickname for the Vought A-7 Corsair II jet fighter-bomber


Sturmvogel

(aviation, military) the ground-attack version of the WWII Messerschmitt Me-262 jet-fighter


NORAD

w:North American Aerospace Defense Command

(US, Canada, military) Acronym of North American Aerospace Defense Command

Commandement de la Défense Aérospatiale de l'Amérique du Nord

北米航空宇宙防衛司令部

ほくべい こうくううちゅうぼうえいしれいぶ


conventional weaponry

The French initiative calls for the elimination of chemical weapons, a ban on production of biological arms and the reduction of nuclear arsenals. As for conventional weaponry, the plan aims to establish "a balance of forces" in each region of the world.

1991 June 17, “World Notes FRANCE”, in Time:

(military) Destructive implements of warfare which are not nuclear, chemical, biological, or radiological in nature.

常規武器 /常规武器

destructive implements of warfare which are not nuclear, chemical, biological, or radiological in nature


political economy

political economy (countable and uncountable, plural political economies)

Arguing for a limit on the power of money, [John Maynard Keynes] was faithful to a long tradition of political economy that was concerned with the balance of interests and the dangers of financial domination.

2012 July 8, Maurice Glasman, “We need to talk about Keynes – and his Viagra economics”, in The Guardian:

Ten years ago, David Simon’s iconic TV series The Wire portrayed contemporary Baltimore as wracked by illegal drug use, violent crime and failing institutions. But underneath the symptoms were the structures of political economy. As the show’s tagline had it, “everything is connected”.

2017 July 20, David Ritter, “Dirty coal to dirty politics: everything is connected through a malformed political economy”, in The Guardian:

Everywhere, international opposition to capitalism's global reach would have been fiercer; the Wall Street–City of London–Frankfurt axis that was to shape so much of global political economy in the 1990s and beyond would have been weaker.

2022, Gary Gerstle, chapter 5, in The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order […] , New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

(economics, politics) Interdisciplinary studies drawing upon economics, law, and political science in explaining how political institutions, the political environment, and the economic system — capitalist, socialist, mixed, and so on — influence each other.


traverse

From Middle English traversen, from Old French traverser, from Latin trans (“across”) + versus (“turned”), perfect passive participle of Latin vertere (“to turn”).

At night, when the Federal guns slowed their fire, the men created new traverses and bombproofs.

1994, Stephen R. Wise, Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863, page 160:

(military) In trench warfare, a defensive trench built to prevent enfilade.

keresztsánc

an angle in a defensive trench to prevent enfilade


traverse

en-verb

traverse (third-person singular simple present traverses, present participle traversing, simple past and past participle traversed)

traverses (present singular third-person)
traversing (participle present)
traversed (participle past)
traversed (past)

to traverse a cannon

(weaponry) To rotate a gun around a vertical axis to bear upon a military target.

(intransitive, fencing) To use the motions of opposition or counteraction.


toison

For quotations using this term, see Citations:toison.


decrescent

From decressant, from Anglo-Norman [Term?], present participle of decreistre (“to decrease”).

(heraldry) A crescent oriented with horns turned to sinister (pointing to the viewer's right).


discretionary spending

en-noun

discretionary spending (usually uncountable, plural discretionary spendings)

Perot would cut federal discretionary spending by 15 percent, chopping items that range from the space station to the Rural Electrification Administration.

1992, Bill Turque AND Ginny Carroll, "Ross Perot's New Tease," Newsweek, 31 Aug.

(US, government finances) US government expenditures which are subject to annual review and authorization by Congress, as distinct from expenditures authorized by existing laws.


shuttle diplomacy

shuttle diplomacy (countable and uncountable, plural shuttle diplomacies)

shuttle diplomacies (plural)
shuttlecock diplomacy (alternative)

Popularized by Henry Kissinger during his term as United States Secretary of State.

The White House denied today that it would conduct quiet “shuttle diplomacy” with Chinese diplomats at the United Nations on matters directly involving Washington and Peking.

1971 November 16, “U.S. Denies Report On China Relations”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Yet the model surfaced again this week, when President Emmanuel Macron of France was asked by a reporter during his shuttle diplomacy in Moscow whether Finlandization was a possibility for Ukraine. He replied, “Yes, it is one of the options on the table.”

2022 February 9, Jason Horowitz, “Finns Don’t Wish ‘Finlandization’ on Ukraine (or Anyone)”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Shuttle diplomacy appears to be moderating its war plans.

2023 October 15, Editorial, “The Guardian view on Gaza’s ground invasion: things could spiral out of control”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(politics) Use of a neutral third party to negotiate peace between two groups of people that refuse to directly talk with each other.

მაქოს დიპლომატია

use of a neutral third party to negotiate peace between two groups of people that refuse to directly talk with each other


Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism (countable and uncountable, plural Machiavellianisms)

Machiavellianisms (plural)
Machiavelianism (alternative)
Machiavellism (alternative)

"Machiavellianism is a radical type of political realism that is applied to both domestic and international affairs."

2010, W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz, Political Realism in International Relations:

Let us turn, finally, to the war itself, and ask ourselves if it can be understood as the victory of decency over Machiavellianism.

2001, Tim Spiekerman, Shakespeare's Political Realism: The English History Plays, SUNY Press, →ISBN, page 54:

(philosophy, politics) The political philosophy of Machiavelli, especially the realist doctrine which emphasizes the maintenance of the state above ethical concerns.


pinfall

pinfall (countable and uncountable, plural pinfalls)

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

Cohen is best known for the confidence he displays on the wrestling mat, . . . stringing one move after another until he hears the referee's hand slap the mat to signal a pinfall.

2005 February 3, Jon Gallo, “Hammond's Cohen an Artist on the Mat”, in Washington Post, retrieved 2008-07-14:

(wrestling, countable) A victorious maneuver in which both of an opponent's shoulders are held against the mat for a prescribed period of time.


increscent

Attested since about 1675, from Latin increscens, present participle of increscere.

(heraldry) A crescent oriented with horns turned to dexter (pointing to the viewer's left).


dancy

From French danché (or an older form thereof). Compare dancetté.

a fess dancy


anti-globalisation

The anti-globalsation factions prefer to remain in protected isolation.


TER

(military, aviation) Acronym of triple ejector rack.


sonkyo

From Japanese 蹲踞 (sonkyo), from Middle Chinese 蹲踞 (MC dzwon kjoH).

(sumo) The calm, straight-backed squat, following the shiko exercises, in mental preparation for the tachiai


SDO

SDO (countable and uncountable, plural SDOs)

(military) Initialism of squadron duty officer.


inner circle

It was upon his return to London that Bok learned, through the confidence of a member of the British “inner circle,” the amazing news that the war was practically over: that Bulgaria had capitulated and was suing for peace; […]

1921, Edward W. Bok, The Americanization of Edward Bok:

Sassoon used the close relationship of Yedidia and Bankman-Fried to explore the FTX inner circle’s luxe lifestyle and allege how it hid a house of cards.

2023 October 5, Victoria Bekiempis, “FTX co-founder testifies he committed crimes with Sam Bankman-Fried”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(idiomatic, business, government, politics) A small, exclusive group of people close to the center of power who control a movement, organization, political party, etc.


counterbattery

(military) Directed against opposing artillery.


rouleau

(fortification) One of a bundle of fascines to cover besiegers.


plasma rifle

(science fiction, weaponry) An assault rifle-styled gun that shoots plasma.


GG

GGs (plural)
G.G. (alternative)
G. G. (alternative)
G.-G. (alternative)
G-G (alternative)

governor general
governor general#English

(politics) Initialism of governor general or governor-general.


count out

en-verb

count out (third-person singular simple present counts out, present participle counting out, simple past and past participle counted out)

counts out (present singular third-person)
counting out (participle present)
counted out (participle past)
counted out (past)

The champ was knocked unconscious and counted out in the third round.

en:determine that (a competitor) has lost a match

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(transitive, boxing, wrestling, professional wrestling) To determine that a competitor has lost a match, by a referee's enumeration aloud of the increments of time for which the competitor has been incapacitated.


bouncing Betty

en-noun

bouncing Betty (plural bouncing Betties)

(military, informal) A land mine which is propelled a meter or two into the air before exploding to increase the amount of damage inflicted on surrounding troops.


ack

They had to begin at the beginning: learning the Morse code, flag-wagging, a succession of acks, and practice on the buzzer.

1929, Frederic Manning, The Middle Parts of Fortune, Vintage, published 2014, page 173:

(military, now historical) The letter A as used in signalling and other types of communications.


alert five

(military, slang) On an aircraft carrier, the state where fighters and crew are on guard, standing by in the aircraft, strapped in and ready to be launched in five minutes or less.


sap fagot

(dated, military) a fascine about three feet long, used in sapping, to close the crevices between the gabions before the parapet is made.


sap roller

(dated, military) A large gabion, six or seven feet long, filled with fascines, which the sapper sometimes rolls along before him for protection from the fire of an enemy.


Putinism

Indeed Putinism elided the differences between consensus, centrism and conformity.

2004, Cameron Ross, Russian Politics Under Putin, Manchester University Press, page 60:

Putin may now calculate he can call off the dogs of war, having achieved his aims and able to pocket his gains very cheaply. The Georgia campaign becomes the triumphant climax of Putinism. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/16/georgia.russia1

2008 August 16, Ian Traynor, “Six days that broke one country - and reshaped the world order”, in The Guardian:

And so it was Surkov who in 2004 announced that Putinism, this strange new hybrid of Soviet-type authoritarianism and free-market morals, was based on the concept of ‘sovereign democracy’.

2014, Marc Bennetts, Kicking the Kremlin: Russia’s New Dissidents and the Battle to Topple Putin, Oneworld Publications:

Navalny’s boyish charm, quick wit and detailed accounts of the dodgy deals and luxurious homes of the elite have made his Internet-distributed videos oopular as devastating indictments of the open-mawed corruption of late Putinism.

2019, Mark Galeotti, We Need to Talk About Putin: Why the West gets him wrong, and how to get him right, London: Random House:

(politics) The political policies of Vladimir Putin; the Russian political system during Putin’s tenure in power.

putinizëm

the political policies of Vladimir Putin


OSI

More recently the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI), which is responsible for prosecuting Nazis and collaborators alleged to have entered this country illegally, closed out an investigation of Poppe’s immigration to the United States without bringing any charges against him. This action was taken in part because the OSI determined that Poppe had disclosed his relationship with the SS to U.S. intelligence prior to his immigration, thus making it highly unlikely that the OSI could successfully prosecute Poppe for illegal entry into the United States.

2014, Christopher Simpson, “nine”, in Mark Crispin Miller, editor, Blowback: America’s Recruitment of Nazis and Its Destructive Impact on Our Domestic and Foreign Policy, New York: Open Road Media, published 1988, →ISBN, page 85:

Office of Special Investigations
w:Office of Special Investigations

(US politics) Initialism of Office of Special Investigations.


snap in

en-verb

snap in (third-person singular simple present snaps in, present participle snapping in, simple past and past participle snapped in)

snaps in (present singular third-person)
snapping in (participle present)
snapped in (participle past)
snapped in (past)

(US, military) To practice aiming, adjusting and firing a rifle with no ammunition


JFTR

(government, US, military) Joint Federal Travel Regulation


Republicrat

This hybrid voting behavior may be called "Republicrat", and obviously it must depress Republicanism in Southern congressional, state, and local politics.

1966, Allan P. Sindler, Political Parties in the United States, page 70:

(US politics, derogatory) A United States politician who is a member of one of the two major political parties (Democrat and Republican), but frequently votes with the other party.

We need to make people understand that decisions being made on local levels are often far more influential in our lives and probably the only real way — unless we're able to radically change the way our one-party Republicrat system works — to make change.

2001, Daniel Sinker, We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet : the Collected Interviews, page 290:

Both wings of the ruling "Republicrat" Party try to outdo themselves in announcing new, ever more draconian measures to restrict, repress, restrain, and eliminate the poor.

2004, Howard Zinn, Anthony Arnove, Voices of a People's History of the United States, page 567:

Rather, we have a single Republicrat party of greedy, self-serving, amoral, power-driven professional politicians...

2005, Holliston Perni, A Heritage of Hypocrisy: Why 'They' Hate Us, page 4:

(US politics, derogatory, attributive) The two-party system, characterized as a single organization that excludes the participation and views of third parties.


electoral district

en-noun

electoral district (plural electoral districts)

When comparing voting systems, it is important to know how many representatives are elected from each electoral district.

(politics) A district represented by one or more elected officials.


buck private

Bedell Smith was a shopkeeper's son from Indiana who rose from buck private to general without the polish of West Point or a college degree.

2007, Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes, Penguin, published 2008, pages 15–16:

(US, military slang) A private soldier keen ("bucking") for promotion; an ambitious private.


intergroup

Often compared to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or associations, intergroups are also similar to lobbying groups because they receive external assistance in the form of financial and/or secretarial support.

2017, Stelios Stavridis, Davor Jancic, Parliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance, page 102:

(politics) A group of members of the European Parliament of no particular party or committee, to facilitate the exchange of views.


at the high port

I raced across the desert, rifle above my head at the high-port. A man screamed, and throwing up his hands, rolled head over heels. I jumped over him and kept on running.

1943, Francis Jackson, Passage to Tobruk: the diary of a Kiwi in the Middle East:

If you mistakenly referred to your rifle as a gun, you found yourself doubling around the parade ground with your rifle in one hand above your head at the high port, and your other hand clutching your balls. As you ran you had to shout: 'This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun.'

2004, Peter Godwin, Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa:

'Place your rifle at the high port! That means above your head Mitchell!' James lifted the weapon and held over his head as ordered.

2008, Angus Hyslop, The Plough, the Gun and the Glory:

(idiomatic, military, of a weapon) Held with two hands as in "port arms", but carried well above the head. The high port is often the position taught for running (at the double) or charging.


pankration

From Ancient Greek παγκράτιον (pankrátion, “all powers”). Doublet of pancratium.

der

(martial arts) An Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling, introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC.


yellow dog

yellow dogs (plural)
Yellow Dog (alternative)
yaller dog (alternative)
yallar dog (alternative)

Carolina dogs were called yellow dogs because many had yellow coats. The fact that many mongrel dogs also had yellow coats lead to the term's application to any worthless item or person. For the etymology of the term Yellow Dog Democrat, see that entry.

What led Rick Perry to pronounce the Yellow Dogs dead?

2011, William Earl Maxwell, Ernest Crain, Adolfo Santos, Texas Politics Today: 2011-2012 Edition, page 125:

Yellow Dog Democrat
Yellow Dog Democrat#English

(US politics, uncommon) Ellipsis of Yellow Dog Democrat.


first lieutenant

en-noun

first lieutenant (plural first lieutenants)

first lieutenants (plural)
1st lieutenant (alternative)

lieutenant junior grade
lieutenant junior grade

(military) The second lowest rank of a commissioned officer in the United States Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, ranking above a second lieutenant and below a captain. The rank of first lieutenant is equivalent to the naval rank of lieutenant junior grade.

(military) An equivalent rank in other military forces.


admiral of the fleet

admiral of the fleet (plural admirals of the fleet)

(military, UK) The highest rank in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, NATO grade OF-10, currently only ceremonial.

velkoadmirál

Top rank in the British Royal Navy; equivalent ranks in other navies — see also admiral, fleet admiral

(military, US, dated) Synonym of fleet admiral.


rear admiral (upper half)

rear admiral (upper half) (plural rear admirals (upper half))

United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard

rear admiral (lower half)
rear admiral (lower half)

(US, military, nautical) A flag officer in the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, or Public Health Service Commissioned Corps of a grade superior to a rear admiral (lower half) and junior to a vice admiral. A rear admiral (upper half) is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force major general. A rear admiral (upper half) wears a two star insignia on most uniforms and a gold stripe above a broad gold stripe on the sleeve of certain dress uniforms.

(US, military, nautical) A naval officer of equivalent grade or rank in the navy of other countries.


rear admiral (lower half)

rear admiral (lower half) (plural rear admirals (lower half))

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps

rear admiral (upper half)
rear admiral (upper half)

(US, military, nautical) A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a captain and junior to a rear admiral (upper half). A rear admiral (lower half) is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force brigadier general.

(US, military, nautical) A naval officer of equivalent grade or rank in the navy of other countries, such as commodore.


XP

Combination of prefix P and prefix modifier X.

(aviation, military, obsolete, US) eXperimental, Pursuit, fighter (prefix)


cover story

"This is just a cover story," Clay says to O5-8, not taking his eyes off Marion. "It's a good one, but she's had it worked out in advance."
"Clay, lose the piece," says the O5.
Grudgingly, Clay does so.

2008–2021, qntm, “We Need To Talk About Fifty-Five”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 9:

(espionage) A fictitious account that is intended to hide one's real motive.


MTB

MTB (countable and uncountable, plural MTBs)

motor torpedo boat
motor torpedo boat#English

(military, nautical) Initialism of motor torpedo boat.


dixer

From Dix + -er. See Dorothy Dixer for more.

(Australian politics) Synonym of Dorothy Dixer (“a planted parliamentary question”).


round shot

Just then, with a roar and a whistle, a round-shot passed high above the roof of the log-house and plumped far beyond us in the wood. Treasure Island (1883), Robert Louis Stevenson

(military, weaponry) A solid, usually iron, spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon.


solid shot

(military, weaponry, dated) A solid round shot or cannonball.


pitbull

pitbulls (plural)
pit-bull (alternative)
pit bull (alternative)

(military, aviation) NATO brevity code indicating a semi-active radar homing missile has begun active homing, and no longer requires its operator to maintain a radar track.


battle cry

Hear my battle cry, hear that mighty sound / They’ve come before, and many more will try to strike me down

2011, Shayfer James, “Battle Cry”, in Counterfeit Arcade, performed by Shayfer James:

(military) An exclamation troops yell out when going to war or battle.

شِعَار

something the troops yell out when going to war or battle


Astroturf

en-verb

Astroturf (third-person singular simple present Astroturfs, present participle Astroturfing, simple past and past participle Astroturfed)

Astroturfs (present singular third-person)
Astroturfing (participle present)
Astroturfed (participle past)
Astroturfed (past)
astroturf (alternative)

We have been Astroturfed by some of the biggest players in the business. As you will read in the coming pages, a reasonable-sounding group called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices spent us$40 million during the last presidential[…]

2009 December 1, James Hoggan, Richard Littlemore, Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming, Greystone Books Ltd, →ISBN, page 197:

Even Maher reacted; his Achilles' heel is that even though he's a leftie, he exhibits clear contempt for the astroturfed audience he relies upon for his laughs. The awkwardness continued for a full, commercial-free half hour,[…]

2011 April 15, Andrew Breitbart, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World, Grand Central Publishing, →ISBN:

The opposition party in Washington and its Astroturfed Tea Partiers around the country could focus strictly on assigning blame for the disaster . At the direction of the field marshals of the rich right in Washington , the Tea Party was[…]

2021 August 10, Kurt Andersen, Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America: A Recent History, Random House Trade Paperbacks, →ISBN, page 282:

(politics, usually lowercase) To fabricate an impression of political support for an agenda.


Astroturf

Astroturfs (plural)
astroturf (alternative)

An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations.

2010 October 25, George Monbiot, “The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by billionaires”, in The Guardian, retrieved 2021-09-26:

(US, politics) A campaign designed to appear like a genuine popular (or grassroots) movement, that does not have such popular support.


joined up

en-adj

joined up (comparative more joined up, superlative most joined up)

more joined up (comparative)
most joined up (superlative)
joined-up (alternative)

The government do not have a joined-up policy on education.

Sadly, we need joined-up thinking and action from government - one thing that's been in short supply.

2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 79:

(politics) coordinated across government departments


cold steel

Give them the cold steel, boys!

1863 (attributed) Armistead, Bri. Gen. Lewis A. (commander of the only Confederate brigade that breached the Union line during Pickett's Charge, Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863)

In your native homeland a stranger you will be by the law of the rifle and the law of cold steel

1995, David Palumbo-Liu, The ethnic canon: histories, institutions, and interventions:

Yet the caracole had struggled against cold steel throughout the 16th century and had come off the victor.

2003, William P. Guthrie, The later Thirty Years War:

(military, archaic or historical) A sword, bayonet or similar weapon made of steel.


buttonology

From button + -ology. In the sense of pedantic systematization, a calque of Swedish knappologi with the same literal meaning.

“The [controller] that will go in theater . . . is just a tad bigger . . . but all the same buttonology, but it’s ruggedized for the environment,” Raulerson said.

2007 April 27, Carlo Munoz, “First round now under way”, in Inside the Air Force, volume 18, number 17, →JSTOR, pages 4–5:

Fielding the newer version of the system with or without the enclave is important to units slated to have DCGS-A because the newer version “is a lot more user friendly for our analysts, as it’s more in tune with Windows-type applications,” he said at the roundtable. What’s more, it features what he called new “buttonology” to which users are more receptive.

2013 January 3, Jen Judson, “Officials:: No Loss Of Capability For DCGS-A Without Top-Secret Enclave”, in Inside the Pentagon, volume 29, number 1, →JSTOR, page 11:

Any other adjustment concerns will pertain to the unique buttonology of the oscilloscope and will be covered in the owner's manual that comes with the scope when you purchase it.

2016, Steve V. Hatch, Computerized Engine Controls, page 191:


multipartite

(politics) Involving several different political parties.


proximity mine

(weaponry) A mine with a proximity fuse.


securitization

en-noun

securitization (countable and uncountable, plural securitizations)

securitizations (plural)
securitisation (alternative UK)

/sɪˈkjʊəɹɪtʌɪzeɪʃən/

2004, Kristof Tamas, Mapping Study on International Migration, Inst for Future Studies
The negative side-effects of securitization of migration have, however, become exacerbated as many Muslims in the U.S. and elsewhere have experienced heightened scrutiny and disbelief while travelling and in everyday life.

The strength of the belief generated what Buzan terms a securitization effect , whereby irrespective of whether or not a material threat exists, something is constructed as a threat, with this understanding being accepted by a wide and/or specifically relevant audience.

2009, Amnon Aran, Israel's Foreign Policy Towards the PLO: The Impact of Globalization:

The emphasis on the securitization of immigration actually began before September 11 and has resulted in policy change towards criminalizing undocumented immigrants in both the United States and Europe.

2009, Judith Ann Warner, Battleground Immigration: M-Z, Greenwood, →ISBN:

Thus, securitization is the process where issues turn into matters of security through political intervention; these 'security matters' are then taken outside the boundaries of normal politics and the mainstream 'rules of the game' and are subsequently treated as special kinds of politics or beyond politics, therefore potentially justifying actions that fall out of the ordinary political procedures (Buzan et al. 1998: 23-24).

2010, Thierry Balzacq, Understanding Securitisation Theory:

[…] although the securitization of migration can be observed in both Canada and France, […]

2011, Philippe Bourbeau, The Securitization of Migration: A Study of Movement and Order, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 126:

Use of the TP/E metaphor plays a significant role in this context, since it may be interpreted as a deliberate 'act of securitization' [3] aiming at moving the climate change issue from the domain of ordinary politics to the domain of 'security politics', […]

2012, H. J. S. Fernando, Z.B. Klaić, J.L. McCulley, National Security and Human Health Implications of Climate Change, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 46:

Nonetheless, in the case of climate change, securitization is appropriate and necessary: because this genuinely is an existential threat to all major states; […]

2020, Anatol Lieven, Climate Change and the Nation State: The Case for Nationalism in a Warming World, Oxford University Press, USA, →ISBN, page 7:

The increased surveillance and securitization of occupied Ukraine is likely intended to encourage self-censorship and facilitate Russian occupation authorities' efforts to prosecute perceived anti-Russian sentiment.

2025 April 21, Karolina Hird, “Russian Occupation Update, April 21, 2025”, in Ukraine Project, Institute for the Study of War:

(politics) The act of convincing a relevant audience to treat a topic as a matter of security (regardless of whether it constitutes an actual threat), thus justifying the use of extraordinary measures.


boresight

(firearms, weaponry) A device mounted along the bore axis of a gun barrel for purposes of aligning the barrel with the gun's sights.


boresight

en-verb

boresight (third-person singular simple present boresights, present participle boresighting, simple past and past participle boresighted)

boresights (present singular third-person)
boresighting (participle present)
boresighted (participle past)
boresighted (past)

A holiday spirit prevailed throughout the task group on these special days; stationkeeping was a bit more lax, and gun crews were off-duty so that the gunners could lubricate, adjust, and boresight their guns[…]

2022 December 21, Drachinifel, quoting M. Dick van Orden, 11:52 from the start, in Typhoon Cobra - When the weather does more damage than the enemy, archived from the original on 2025-03-02:

(firearms, weaponry) To use a boresight to align a gun barrel with the gun's sights.


ronson

From Ronson, manufacturer of lighters, in reference to their 1940s jingle "Lights first every time".

(British, military, slang, obsolete) M4 Sherman tank - due to the proclivity of Shermans to burst into flames from a single hit


C-rat

(US, military, slang) Clipping of C-ration.


OIC

(law enforcement) Initialism of officer in the case.

(military) Initialism of officer in charge.


HA

en-noun

HA (countable and uncountable, plural HAs)

(military, countable) Initialism of hospital apprentice.


cross the aisle

en-verb

cross the aisle (third-person singular simple present crosses the aisle, present participle crossing the aisle, simple past and past participle crossed the aisle)

crosses the aisle (present singular third-person)
crossing the aisle (participle present)
crossed the aisle (participle past)
crossed the aisle (past)

It's voters who seem to want Republicans and Democrats in the next Congress to cross the aisle and try something different in Iraq.

2006 October 24, “Commentary: How this US election may help Iraq”, in Christian Science Monitor, retrieved 2008-09-27:

2008: Fareed Zakaria, The Post-American World, Chapter VI
The British prime minister doesn't need any support from the opposition party; he has a ruling majority by definition. The American system, by contrast, is one of shared power, overlapping functions, and checks and balances. Progress requires broad coalitions between the two parties and politicians who will cross the aisle.

(chiefly US, idiomatic, politics) To vote, unite, or otherwise co-operate with members of another political party in order to achieve governmental or political action.

bipartisanship

to vote, unite, or co-operate with members of another political party

Liberal members pounded their desks in delight as Social Crediter Horace (Bud) Olson (Medicine Hat) picked up his books and papers and crossed the aisle to take the last seat in the third row on the Government side. This symbolic gesture completed his defection.

1967 September 26, Geoffrey Stevens, “Kind thoughts, gentle words, then House reverts to form”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, page 1:

A Conservative member of Parliament crossed the aisle this weekend to join the resurgent Labor Party of Tony Blair.

1995 October 9, John Darnton, “Tories, With a Bagful of Woes, Are Hurt by a Defection”, in New York Times, retrieved 2008-09-27:

When asked by Duffy about rumours that he was being heavily courted by the Tories to cross the aisle and join them, Kilgour replied that they've opened "No doors."

2005 April 14, “Kilgour can't 'live with himself,' quits Grits”, in CTV.ca, retrieved 2009-04-01:

After Stronach's 2005 defection to Paul Martin's Liberals . . . . [a]t least one Tory MP openly called her a "whore" for crossing the aisle.

2007 April 16, David Olive, “Belinda accomplished much in relatively short time”, in Toronto Star, Canada, retrieved 2009-04-01:

(chiefly British and Canada, idiomatic, politics) Of a member of a parliament, to resign from one's political party and join another party, resulting in moving from one's currently assigned desk or seat in the legislative chamber to a new desk or seat physically located with the other members of one's new party.


too big to fail

1912, Fabian Society, Fabian Tract No. 164, "Gold and State Banking: A Study in the Economics of Monopoly"
The fact, which surely everybody knows and hardly anybody ventures to state, is that the stability of our great banks--and all our banking system which now matters a tittle consists of great banks--is based not on the supply of gold in their vaults, nor on the reserve in the Bank of England, but on the fact that they are too big to fail, too big commercially and far too big politically. If Lloyds, or the London County, or the National Provincial stopped payment, the consequences would far exceed a San Francisco earthquake, a Chicago fire, or any other catastrophe within the memory of man.

The Trunk's too big to fail. Too many investors. He'll get more money, keep the system going this side of disaster, then let it collapse.

In these efforts, we aim not only to make the financial system better able to withstand future shocks but also to mitigate moral hazard and the problem of "too big to fail," by reducing the range of circumstances in which systemic stability concerns might prompt government intervention.

2008, Ben S. Bernanke, Testimony on regulatory restructuring before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives on July 10, 2008

This is the only remedy that would permit an escape from the “doom loop” described by Piergiorgio Alessandri and Andrew Haldane (2009), whereby, when financial institutions are seen as “too big to fail,” governments have no option but to bail them out with public money, no matter how many times they claim they will not do so.

2011, William Leiss, The Doom Loop in the Financial Sector: And Other Black Holes of Risk, University of Ottawa Press, →ISBN, page 126:

The rise of unregulated “shadow banks” and the lack of restrictions on insurers and asset managers were pinpointed as concerns – as was the growth of global banks to a scale larger than 2008 and the fear that they are again “too big to fail”.

2018 October 7, Shane Hickey, “Shadow banks, trade wars, Trump … clouds gather over the IMF’s paradise”, in The Observer:

“The risk that this monster bank can use its monopoly standing to blackmail the government and dictate its own regulation is enormous,” Wermuth said. “It’s absolutely too big to fail.”

2023 March 22, Philip Oltermann, quoting Cédric Wermuth, “Switzerland’s national pride dealt heavy blow by the merger of its banking titans”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(finance, economics, politics) Deemed too important to the economy or polity to be allowed to “fail”, that is to be liquidated or to go bankrupt.


CINC

(US, military) Abbreviation of commander-in-chief.


broken-backed

en-adj

broken-backed (comparative more broken-backed, superlative most broken-backed)

more broken-backed (comparative)
most broken-backed (superlative)

(military) Of a war or warfare: continuing after the main force has been destroyed or significantly weakened, for example after a devastating nuclear strike.


square bashing

(British, slang, military) Marching drills and other military exercises practiced on a parade ground.


parade ground

(military) A large area of firm ground, formerly usually adjacent to fortifications and now usually a paved area at a military base, where soldiers present themselves for inspection ("parade") and practice marching and close-order drills.

плац

an area of firm ground where soldiers are inspected and perform close-order drills


MDI

Mission Data Interface
w:Mission Data Interface

(software, navy) Initialism of Mission Data Interface.


saliant

He beareth, Or, a Lion Saliant, Gules, by the name of Felbridge. The Proper forme of a Lion Saliant, is Lion Saliant when his right forefoot answereth to the Dexter corner of the Escocheon, and his hindmost foot the sinister base[…]

1632, John Guillim, A Display of Heraldrie, page 195:

Or two Wolves counter saliant Sable.

1842, Thomas Chatterton, Poetical Works: With Notices of His Life, History of the Rowley Controversy, a Selection of His Letters, and Notes, Critical and Explanatory, page 706:

Williams : argent , two foxes saliant counter-saliant in saltire, gules, the dexter surmounting the sinister (fig. 100). Sir Simon de Felbrigge, K.G .: or, a lion saliant gules (fig. 89). Fitz Payne: gules, three lions[…]

1898, The Encyclopaedia Britannica ...: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and General Literature ... in Thirty Volumes with New American Supplement, page 699:

(heraldry, dated) Alternative form of salient.


picket line

From picket (“stake driven into the ground; soldier or small unit of soldiers assigned to perform a duty; protester positioned outside a workplace, etc., during a strike; the protest itself”) + line.

(military, rare) A barrier or fortification formed by pickets; a stockade.

(military) A boundary guarded by a picket (unit of soldiers).


third estate

the third estate (canonical)
Third Estate (alternative)


pay-to-play

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-pay-to-play.wav

Davis's pay-to-play reputation, demanding donations before he would consider policies or appointments favorable to the potential donors, was used against him.

2004, Larry N. Gerston, Terry Christensen, Recall!: California's Political Earthquake:

(by extension, politics, of a politician or a party) Accepting donations in exchange for favors; corrupt.


PIP

en-noun

PIP (countable and uncountable, plural PIPs)

(military) Acronym of predicted impact point.


in power

He's now in power at City Hall.

The party in power here is always the Democrats.

"I heard Winnie the Pooh was like garlic to a vampire to the Chinese commies," he said. "Popular arts and music, poetry, dancing and singing is a threat to those in power, and I'm really trying to bring back that rock-and-roll rebellious spirit into music, you know."

2024 January 29 [2024 January 26], Tim Lee, Ray Chung, quoting Brendan Kavanagh, “London YouTuber hid in van, received death threats after piano face-off”, in Luisetta Mudie, transl., Radio Free Asia, archived from the original on 2024-01-29:

(politics) Currently ruling; being the present controlling authority, as of a government or country.


rear echelon

(military) That part of an army that is not needed to directly combat the enemy.

(military, by extension) The administrative and supply departments of an army.


Queensberry rules

Queensberry + rule. Named after Scottish nobleman John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry

named-after

Queensberry Rules (alternative)
Queensbury Rules (alternative)
Queensbury rules (alternative)

(sports, boxing) A code of rules governing professional and amateur boxing, published in 1867 and endorsed by the ninth Marquess of Queensberry.


right cross

(boxing) A cross (hook thrown over the opponent's punch) made with the right hand


stick to one's guns

en-verb

stick to one's guns (third-person singular simple present sticks to one's guns, present participle sticking to one's guns, simple past and past participle stuck to one's guns)

sticks to one's guns (present singular third-person)
sticking to one's guns (participle present)
stuck to one's guns (participle past)
stuck to one's guns (past)
stick by one's guns (alternative)

Capitan Beaulieu-de-Long and his first lieutenant were both killed, several guns dismounted, and many of the [French frigate] crew killed and wounded. . . . Nevertheless the French stuck bravely to their guns, while the flame of the cannonade illuminated the scene beneath the canopy of smoke.

1970, James Henderson, The Frigates, an account of the lesser warships of the wars from 1793 to 1815, London: Wordsworth, page 73:

(dated, military, of gunners) To persist in faithfully attending to cannons while under fire.


three-line whip

en-noun

three-line whip (plural three-line whips)

From the triple underlining of very important votes on “the whip” — a document detailing upcoming business distributed weekly to British MPs by party managers.

Since the metaphysical status of egg-casing is not one on which the church has yet pronounced, opposition appears based on "yuck" and nothing else. But yuck has become diktat, with Catholic MPs up to cabinet level being given a three-line whip by their bishops.

2008 April 12, Simon Jenkins, Richard Harries, “Atheist versus Bishop”, in The Guardian:

Deputy Chief Whip Craig Whittaker told them it will be a “100% hard” three-line whip, saying: “This is not a motion on fracking. This is a confidence motion in the Government.”

2022 October 19, Ashley Cowburn, quoting Craig Whittaker, “Liz Truss declares fracking vote tonight a ‘confidence motion’ in her government”, in Mirror:

(UK politics) A directive to MPs from party leaders to vote in a particular way in parliament, despite what the MP might believe or what his or her constituents might like.


oorah

hoorah (alternative)
oo-rah (alternative)
oohrah (alternative)

(US, military) The official yell for the US Marines.


spad

spads (plural)
SpAd (alternative)
SpAD (alternative)

SPAD Special Advisor

1997 November 7, Reddy Hannah with Wimbush, Angela and Linesberry, Debbie, “Abbreviations and Acronyms”, in Dr. Russell G. Swenson, editor, Defense and Intelligence Abbreviations and Acronyms, Washington, DC: Joint Military Intelligence College, archived from the original on 2017-09-18, page 192:

A successful stint as a spad can be a crucial political apprenticeship - as many of the current crop of professional politicians including the Miliband brothers, David Cameron and George Osborne can testify - so long as they stay in the dark.

2009, Ben Wright, Hidden world of the political advisers, BBC:

The hit BBC sitcom satirising the inner workings of Whitehall and the so-called spads contains "more than a grain of truth", the head of the cross-party public administration select committee has warned.

2012, Avoid The Thick of It-style spad appointments, ministers told, The Guardian

(UK politics, informal) A government adviser, often in a political or media role.


Conservative

"Avanti has literally broken records over the last six months for delays and cancellations, and the Conservatives' answer is to reward failure with millions more in taxpayer cash," said Labour Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.

2023 April 5, “Network News: Conservatives accused of "rewarding Avanti's failure"”, in RAIL, number 980, page 6:

(politics) A member of a political party incorporating the word "Conservative" in its name.

(British, politics) A member of the Conservative party.

(Canada, politics) A member or supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada, or its predecessors, or provincial equivalents, or their predecessors


flamant

flambant (alternative)
flammant (alternative)

Sr Andrew Flamocke. [...] Crest -- A tree ragulée Vert flamant Gules.

1885, Walter Charles Metcalfe, A Book of Knights … 1566 [to] 1698, page 81:

75th Air Depot Wing 750 AIR / On a shield Or, a stylized aircraft Azure, throughout, in pale, thereon a sword Argent, flamant Gules, fimbriated Or,[…]

2001, Judy G. Endicott, The USAF in Korea: Campaigns, Units, and Stations, 1950-1953, Department of the Air Force, page 105:

(heraldry) Flaming (typically gules unless another color is specified).


pogue

2002, Jonathan Shay, Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming
Although he is noteworthy for the staff jobs he does for the commander in chief, Agamemnon, he's no rear-echelon pogue.

(US, military slang) Alternative form of POG (“non-infantry member of the military”).


humet

humets (plural)
humette (alternative)
heumette (alternative)

Uncertain. The OED speculates that it might derive from Old French heaumet (whence helmet), a diminutive of heaume (“helm”) supposedly applied to the bar of it; however, compare the early (1600s) use of humet for a slab of stone or tombstone.

[...] who take their Name from Hameyde, one of the two and twenty Baronies of that Province; thus D'Or a trois Hameydes de Geules, that is, Or, three Humets Gules, or Bars couped;

1725, James Coats, A New Dictionary of Heraldry, page 34:

Sa., on a humet arg., a martlet arg. (or.) Creft : A martlet as in the shield. Confirmed (with 1 quartering) to Hugh Bostock, of Moreton Say, who m. Margaret, daug. of Thomas Lee, of Langley. Harl MS. Boteler.

1869, Shropshire Arms and Lineages, page 10:

The Humet is a term sometimes, but seldom, used for a fesse, or bar humetty, i.e. couped at each of the extremities. Or, three humets sable , charged with as many annulets argent—AMBROSE, Lancashire.

1894, Henry Gough, James Parker, A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, page 336:

(heraldry, rare) A fesse or bar cut off short at each end.


humet

[...] as Morgan in his Blazon of the Arms of Brabant, argent on a fesse humet gules, three leopards' heads or[…]

1804, Alexander Nisbet, A system of heraldry, speculative and practical: with the true art of Blazon ... Illustrated with suitable examples of armorial figures, and achievements of the most considerable surnames and families in Scotland ..., page 47:

erm. three bars humets or.

1828, William Berry, Encyclopaedia Heraldica Or Complete Dictionary of Heraldry:

Sa, three bars humet ar.

1847, John Burke, Encyclopaedia of Heraldry or general Armory of England, Scotland and Ireland, comprising a registry of all armorial bearings from the earliest to the present time, including the late grants by the college of arms: By John and John Bernard Burke:


longline

longlines (plural)
long-line (alternative)

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

(firefighting) A long cable used to raise or lower loads from a helicopter when landing is not possible.


crossover vote

(US, politics) A vote by a person registered with one party in an election for a candidate in another


favorite son

(politics) A male party member to whom the leadership is likely to assign a prominent role.

(US politics) A male candidate chosen by a state delegation for an initial ballot, in the knowledge that other delegations will not prefer this candidate, for the purpose of negotiation.


Solid South

(US politics, historical) The electoral support of the Southern United States for Democratic Party candidates for nearly a century from 1877, the end of the Reconstruction, to 1964.


autofire

en-verb

autofire (third-person singular simple present autofires, present participle autofiring, simple past and past participle autofired)

autofires (present singular third-person)
autofiring (participle present)
autofired (participle past)
autofired (past)

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

(video games, weaponry) To fire automatically.


main battle tank

en-noun

main battle tank (plural main battle tanks)

main battle tanks (plural)
MBT (alternative)

(military) A tank with a good balance of firepower, cross-country mobility, and armoured protection, and therefore capable of carrying out the roles of breakthrough, exploitation and infantry support.


convention bump

convention bump (plural convention bumps)

(US politics) The rise in support (as shown in polls) a presidential candidate receives after the national party nominating convention.


dual primary

(US, politics) Two primaries held concurrently.


Kossack

From Daily Kos (derived in turn from Kos, nickname of the blog's founder Markos Moulitsas) and cossack.

Opined one Kossack: "His blood is also on Bush's hands."

2005 March 2, Dean Barnett, “Kos Party”, in The Weekly Standard:

The Kingpin had instructed his Kossack cultists to support Brown's Democratic primary rival, Paul Hackett.

2006 June 25, David Brooks, “Respect Must Be Paid”, in The New York Times:

(US, politics, Internet slang) A member of the leftist US blogging community Daily Kos.


freep

en-verb

freep (third-person singular simple present freeps, present participle freeping, simple past and past participle freeped)

freeps (present singular third-person)
freeping (participle present)
freeped (participle past)
freeped (past)
FReep (alternative)
Freep (alternative)

Back-formation from Freeper, from The Free Republic, a popular conservative forum.

Hearsay even got "freeped." "Freepers," followers of a rightist Web site called Free Republic, orchestrated a "Freeper Call to Action."

2000 February 28, James V. Grimaldi, “Hearsay: The Lawyer's Column; Keeping Up With the Gundersons”, in The Washington Post:

Freeping is one of the reasons Internet surveys are useless as a gauge of public opinion because the results can reflect an organized campaign.

2005 August 22, Tim Cuprisin, “Contest may not be clear of 'freep'”, in Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, archived from the original on 2008-02-12:

(US, politics, Internet slang) To subject to a mass internet or email assault aimed at pushing a particular point of view.


CMO

en-noun

CMO (countable and uncountable, plural CMOs)

civil-military operations
w:civil-military operations

(US, military) Initialism of civil-military operations (“a military activity”).


cybergenic

en-adj

cybergenic (comparative more cybergenic, superlative most cybergenic)

more cybergenic (comparative)
most cybergenic (superlative)

They may be near the back of the pack now, but one of them is likely to emerge to vie with Howard Dean, the cybergenic former governor of Vermont […]

2003 September 18, “Edwards, Clark make it official”, in Fayetteville Observer, archived from the original on 2016-03-05:

And when he wins, let us hope that Obama's cybergenic instincts enable the first cybergenic president to govern as effectively as he ran.

2008 August 14, Mitch Wagner, “Digital Campaigning Won't Put Obama In The White House”, in Information Week:

(US, politics) Exhibiting qualities thought to be attractive to internet users


piledriver

piledrivers (plural)
pile driver (alternative)

(professional wrestling) A move in which the wrestler applies a front waist lock, then drives the opponent's head into the mat by falling to his knees or backside.


MRAP

(military, US) Abbreviation of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle.


WAC

(US, military, historical) Initialism of Women's Army Corps.


pre-dreadnought

pre-dreadnoughts (plural)
predreadnought (alternative)

(nautical, military, historical) A late 19th-century or early 20th-century battleship with a small number of big guns (typically no more than four) and a large number of quick-firing medium-caliber guns. It was made largely obsolete in 1906 by the dreadnought type of battleship.

Japanese battleship Mikasa
Pre-dreadnought battleship

קְדַם דְּרֶדְנוֹט

late 19th or early 20th century battleship


early day motion

en-noun

early day motion (plural early day motions)

(UK politics) A formal motion submitted for debate in the House of Commons.


ground game

ground game (countable and uncountable, plural ground games)

He didn't show a lot of ground game in that fight, but his advantage was on the feet, so that's understandable.

2007 September 8, Scott Sherman, Gerald Harris, “Scott's UFC 75 picks”, in Salt Lake Tribune, archived from the original on 2008-04-05:

(martial arts) Hand-to-hand combat in which both fighters are on the ground, or skill in such combat

While the Democratic "ground game" in Texas seems unusually strong, so is the Republicans'.

1988 August 8, Paul Taylor, “Texans Say Bentsen on Ticket Rejuvenates State's Democrats”, in Washington Post, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page A1:

(US, politics, countable) Local political organization


chargé d'affaires

chargé d'affaires (plural chargés d'affaires)

chargés d'affaires (plural)
charge d'affaires (alternative)

/ʃɑrˈʒeɪ dəˈfɛɹ/

Unadapted borrowing from French chargé d'affaires (literally “[one] charged with matters”).

ubor

(diplomacy) A diplomat, ranking below an ambassador, who heads a diplomatic mission when no ambassador is present, either temporarily (in the interim between the departure of one ambassador and the accreditation of another) or for an extended time.


BOCAT

(military) Acronym of Baghdad Operations Command Advisory Team.


Election Day

Election Days (plural)
election day (alternative)

(politics) The day on which a general election is designated to be held.

Voters returned nearly 64 million mail-in ballots before Election Day, a pandemic-driven record that is certain to make for a more complicated vote count this year but could also reshape American elections for years to come.

2020 November 3, Stephanie Saul, Danny Hakim, “As Counting Begins, a Flood of Mail Ballots Complicates Vote Tallies”, in New York Times:

(US politics, specifically) The day on which general elections are held in the United States, usually the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.

(Philippine politics, specifically) The day on which general elections are held in the Philippines, usually on the second Monday of May.


Obamanomics

Blend of Obama + economics, equivalent to Obama + -nomics. See Related terms below.

(US politics, economics, neologism) The economic policies of Barack Obama.


term limit

Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution

Attorney Gordon cites no authority for his interpretation of the Twenty-Second Amendment, which is contrary to the Amendment's plain meaning. Application of the term limit turns on whether an individual has actually been elected President twice, not on beliefs or assertions about that fact. Cf. Nader v. Butz, 398 F. Supp. 390, 397 (D.D.C. 1975) ("Having been elected to [the presidency] twice, [Richard Nixon] is precluded from serving again.") That Mr. Trump has falsely asserted that he won the 2020 election is no more disqualifiying than it would be for him to proclaim that he is not a United States citizen. In other words, political grandstanding does not trigger the bar of the Twenty-Second Amendment.

2023 December 28, Shenna Bellows, “Ruling of the Secretary of State”, in State of Maine Secretary of State, archived from the original on 2023-12-29, page 15:

(politics, political science) The maximum number of terms that a person may legally serve in a particular elected office.


Nixonomics

Blend of Nixon + economics, equivalent to Nixon + -nomics. Coined in a speech of the same title by Walter Heller in October 1969. This is believed to be the first such term coined by blending a president's surname with the word "economics." http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEEDB153AF932A35752C1A964958260 Similar blends have been used to describe the economic policies of all subsequent US presidents, though Fordonomics is rare.

Senators William Proxmire and Hubert Humphrey, among others, hinted that the new Nixonomics may be due for some design changes when it reaches the Senate.

1971 September 6, “Nixon's Freeze and the Mood of Labor”, in Time Magazine, archived from the original on 2008-12-21:

(US politics) The economic policies of the Richard Nixon administration, 1969-1974.


Carternomics

Blend of Carter + economics, equivalent to Carter + -nomics.

Carternomics stimulates the economy to reduce unemployment and help the "old" poor, while it causes runaway inflation that creates legions of the new poor.

1978 June 1, William Safire, “The New Poor”, in The New York Times:

Mr. Bush's return to Carternomics killed the Reagan boom, resulting in higher unemployment, lower incomes and higher deficits.

1993 October 31, “Taxing the patience in Jersey election”, in The Washington Times, archived from the original on 2021-01-31:

(US politics, often derogatory) Economic policies associated with the administration of Jimmy Carter, 1977–1981.


Clintonomics

Blend of Clinton + economics, equivalent to Clinton + -nomics.

But I am not yet persuaded that Clintonomics will make much of a dent in the persistent problems of unemployment in the U.S. economy.

1992 December 6, David M. Gordon, “Clinton May Fall Short on Easing Unemployment”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 2013-06-30, page D2:

(US politics) The economic policies associated with the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, 1993–2001.


could not get elected dogcatcher

/kəd ˌnɒt ɡɛt ɪˌlɛktɪd ˈdɒɡkæt͡ʃə/

/kəd ˌnɑt ɡɛt əˌlɛktɪd ˈdɔɡˌkæt͡ʃəɹ/

En-us-could not get elected dogcatcher.oga

En-au-could not get elected dogcatcher.ogg

Dogcatchers are virtually never elected to their posts; the phrase is hyperbole, using dogcatcher to indicate the most lowly conceivable office.

An insolent Republican newspaper asserts that Mr. [Grover] Cleveland is so unpopular in Washington that he could not be elected dog catcher for the district. This may be true, yet Mr. Cleveland has caught a great many dogs in his day—stealing. His success in that line would naturally make him unpopular with the claims agents and other parasites that throng the capital.

1889 February 18, Chicago Herald, quotee, “Unpopular with rascals”, in The Courier-Journal, volume LXXIV, number 7,355 (New Series), Louisville, Ky.: Louisville Courier-Journal Print. Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 6:

It is a well known fact that the average American town will not elect well educated men to municipal offices if they can help it. A man who wears kid gloves and a plug hat couldn't be elected dog catcher in any town in Oklahoma. That is why the affirmative wish the city manager to be elected by a commission.

1918 October 15, “The City Manager Plan. [Condenst Paragrafs.]”, in J. W. Scroogs, editor, University of Oklahoma Bulletin (New Series; no. 156; University Extension Series; no. 43), Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma, →OCLC, page 60:

Men like him couldn't get elected dogcatcher. He was a natural lieutenant, not a leader, and it was a fact he accepted with neither bitterness nor regret.

2006 October, credited to Robert Ludlum, chapter 15, in The Bancroft Strategy, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 264:

"She [Christine O'Donnell]'s not a viable candidate for any office in the state of Delaware," said the state party chairman, Tom Ross, who is backing [Mike] Castle. "She could not be elected dog catcher."

2010 September 12, Philip Eliot, “GOP Tries to Take Out Tea Party-backed Candidate”, in Yahoo! News, archived from the original on 2010-09-22:

[Donald] Trump, who has a glancing relationship with the truth and speaks English only as a second language, has hurled his insults at [Bob] Corker (whom he said couldn't get elected dog-catcher in his home state) and at [John] McCain – even as he journeyed to Capitol Hill to try to build support for tax reform.

2017 October 25, John L. Micek, “Trump just keeps digging deeper and deeper”, in The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.: Gannett, →ISSN, →OCLC:

(idiomatic, chiefly US, politics, hyperbolic) Said of someone, particularly a politician, who is extremely unpopular.

ei äänestäisi kukaan

said of someone, particularly a politician, who is extremely unpopular


Bushonomics

Blend of Bush + economics, equivalent to Bush + -o- + -nomics.

Ross Perot's advisers suggest he may push a much bolder plan, investing hundreds of billions in infrastructure; but until he delivers, Clinton clearly occupies the high ground against Bushonomics.

1992 July 8, David Gergen, “Democrats' 'Comeback Kid' Revels in Latest Returns”, in Rocky Mountain News:

(US politics) The economic policies associated with the presidency of George Herbert Walker Bush, 1989–1993.

According to the Democratic nominee, Bushonomics would "squander" the surplus.

2000 August 18, Richard S. Dunham, “Battlin' Al Comes Out Swinging”, in Business Week:

(US politics) The economic policies associated with the presidency of George W. Bush, 2001–2009.


McCainiac

And, as Bush learned painfully, there are plenty of McCainiacs in pivotal Michigan.

2000 March 2, “After Primaries, Focus Turns to the Vice Presidential Slot”, in Philadelphia Inquirer, page A1:

The McCainiacs are warning John McCain's conservative opponents that unless they stop criticizing their candidate immediately, he'll never recover in time for the general election.

2008 February 18, David Limbaugh, “Grassroots hurdle?”, in Washington Times:

(US politics, informal) An ardent follower or supporter of John McCain in his campaigns for the presidency in 2000 and 2008.


fusionism

But it means being open to the possibility that the old fusionism, battered and bruised as it is, may still hold as much promise for the advancement of libertarian policy goals as "liberaltarianism" ever will.

2009 February 13, Ross Douthat, “The Future of Liberaltarianism (II)”, in The Atlantic:

(chiefly US politics) A political philosophy advocating fusion of traditionalist social conservatism with right-libertarianism.


parlour game

parlour games (plural)
parlor game (alternative)
parlor-game (alternative)
parlour-game (alternative)

(politics, figuratively) The use of deliberately nebulous or confusing language.


spinmeister

From spin (“favourable comment or interpretation intended to bias opinion on an otherwise unpleasant situation”) + -meister.

affix

Republican spinmeisters were quick to offer their opinions last week on Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess' decision not to challenge Portsmouth lawyer Paul McEachern for the Democratic nomination for governor.

1988, Laura A. Kiernan, “...And Then There Was One”, in The Boston Globe, archived from the original on 2016-03-07:

The reporting on Al Gore’s selection of Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate illustrates yet again the willingness of America’s dominant liberal media to accept without question the tales woven by Democratic spinmeisters.

2000 August 9, James Young, “The ‘conscience’ of the Senate”, in Potomac News, volume 41, number 320, Woodbridge, Va., page A6:

(US politics, slang) A media liaison or spokesperson, charged with presenting the spin for their political side.


FS

(military, nautical, exonym) Initialism of French ship (a ship of the military of the Fifth Republic of France (used as a ship prefix)).


wingnutosphere

From wingnut + -o- + -sphere, by analogy with blogosphere.

That was obviously violated today as the New Republic betrayed, once again, that it seeks to destroy the new people-powered movement for the sake of its Lieberman-worshipping neocon owners; that it stands with the National Review and wingnutosphere in their opposition to grassroots Democrats.

2006 June 26, Howard Kurtz, quoting Markos Moulitsas, “Coming Clean”, in The Washington Post:

(US politics, blogging, slang, derogatory) The community of bloggers perceived to be on the political far right.


EXORD

(US, military) An execute order: an order to implement a specified plan.


CVE

(US military) Designation for an escort aircraft carrier.


overvote

An overvote that took the form of punching Gore's chad and then writing his name (or Lieberman's) in the place for a write-in candidate would unambiguously manifest the voter's intention to vote for Gore.

2001, Richard A. Posner, Breaking the Deadlock, →ISBN, page 78:

(US politics) A case in which a voter has marked a ballot for more choices than allowed by the rules


overvote

en-verb

overvote (third-person singular simple present overvotes, present participle overvoting, simple past and past participle overvoted)

overvotes (present singular third-person)
overvoting (participle present)
overvoted (participle past)
overvoted (past)

[…] a poll worker can manually override the program and accept the ballot, even though it has been overvoted or undervoted.

2005, United States Government Accountability Office, Elections, →ISBN, page 10:

(US politics) To spoil a ballot by marking it for more choices than allowed by the rules


obligatee

But in any provision of value to the public as a whole, other people are somehow affected or involved, as customers, beneficiaries or obligatees.

2001, John Alford, “The implications of 'publicness' for strategic management theory”, in Kevan Scholes, Gerry Johnson, editors, Exploring Public Sector Strategy, →ISBN, page 6:

(government) A person who is obligated by law to do something


small-c conservative

en-noun

small-c conservative (plural small-c conservatives)

small-c conservatives (plural)
small c conservative (alternative)
small “c” conservative (alternative)
small "c" conservative (alternative)
“small c” conservative (alternative)
"small c" conservative (alternative)

(politics) A person who holds conservative views, but may or may not be a member or supporter of their country's "Conservative Party".


common time

(military) The ordinary pace of marching, in which ninety steps, each twenty-eight inches in length, are taken in one minute.


cantoned

(heraldry) Having a charge in each of the four corners; said of a cross on a shield, and also of the shield itself.


transpartisan

en-adj

transpartisan (comparative more transpartisan, superlative most transpartisan)

more transpartisan (comparative)
most transpartisan (superlative)

As a matter of fact, it was national or transpartisan policy and stood outside daily political controversies.

1989, Hans Daalder, Galen A Irwin, Politics in the Netherlands: How Much Change?:

Through transpartisan dialogue — and simply getting to know each other as human beings — people began to shed their biases and preconceptions.

2008, Marcia Ford, We the Purple: Faith, Politics, and the Independent Voter:

(politics) Going beyond the partisan; ecumenical, universal.


hobelar

hobelars (plural)
hobeler (alternative)
hobilar (alternative)

(military, history) A type of mounted infantry, during the Middle Ages, who rode on hobbies.


green line

(geopolitics) A demarcation line, separating Israeli and Palestinian or other Arab territories according to an armistice in 1949.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

(geopolitics) A demarcation line, separating the Republic of Cyprus from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.


execute order

CJCS Counterdrug Execute Order (EXORD) authorizes continued DOD support to law enforcement efforts to detect, monitor and interdict drug trafficking.

(US, military) An order initiating a military operation.


falconet

(military, historical) A light cannon developed in the late 15th century and decorated with an image of a falcon.


N/S

(Canada, military) Abbreviation of non-serviceable, used on tags attached to equipment needing servicing.


imbroccata

imbroccatas (plural)
imbrocata (alternative)

From Italian imbroccata, feminine past participle of imbroccare (“to hit a target”).


Balkanized

Balkanized (comparative more Balkanized, superlative most Balkanized)

more Balkanized (comparative)
most Balkanized (superlative)
Balkanised (alternative)

What was once always on the brink of something bigger has become Balkanized, and the process of genre subdivision has hidden away bands in ever tinier and more obscure pigeonholes, affecting even the best and most widely known among them.

2009 December 31, Ben Sisario, “When Indie-Rock Genres Outnumber the Bands”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

I often think about this whenever I’m in the hyperpartisan, Balkanised world of social media full as it is of people calling Tories scum (and worse) and collecting a bountiful harvest of retweets and likes on the back of it.

2023 July 17, Rhymer Rigby, “Sick of this Conservative government? That shouldn’t stop you having Tory friends”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:


CDS

en-noun

CDS (countable and uncountable, plural CDSs or CDSes or CDS)

CDSs (plural)
CDSes (plural)
CDS (plural)

(military) Initialism of chief of the defence staff.


Thatcherize

en-verb

Thatcherize (third-person singular simple present Thatcherizes, present participle Thatcherizing, simple past and past participle Thatcherized)

Thatcherizes (present singular third-person)
Thatcherizing (participle present)
Thatcherized (participle past)
Thatcherized (past)
Thatcherise (alternative)

From Thatcher + -ize, named after British prime minister Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013).

named-after

Throughout the 1980s, she had been Thatcherizing the Cabinet.

1991, Bruce Anderson, John Major: The Making of the Prime Minister:

This Thatcherized ethos showed how easily militant economism worked against the Left, once the postwar settlement's corporatist scaffolding was gone […]

(transitive, UK politics) To subject to Thatcherism.


Adullamite

From Adullam + -ite, in the political sense from a speech by John Bright in Parliament on 13 March 1866 deriding the anti-reformist faction of Edward Horsman as a “Cave of Adullam”, i.e. a group of malcontents.

(UK politics, historical) A member of the anti-reform faction of the British Liberal Party in the 19th century.


Arnaut

From Turkish arnavut, from Ottoman Turkish آرناوود (arnavut, “an Albanian”).
Entered Ottoman Turkish from the Byzantine Greek ethnonym Arvanitis (Αρβανίτης) after the syllable cluster van was rearranged through metathesis to nav giving the final Turkish forms as Arnavut and Arnaut. Meanwhile in Greek the name Arvanitis was derived from the original term Alvanitis (Ἀλβάνίτης) as a process of rhotacism Alv- into Arv-. In return Alvanitis stems from the name Alvanos (Ἀλβάνος) Albanian, from Ancient Greek Ἀλβανοί (Albanoí).

arnauta

Albanian, especially one serving in the Ottoman army

Included under the generic name of Arnauts, it was recruited from Roumeliote Greeks, Albanians, Bulgarians, and Servians, who acted as body-guards to the princes, the great functionaries, and eve the simple Boyards [in Danubian Principalities, early 19th c.]

1844, Thomas Gordon, History of the Greek Revolution, 2nd edition, volume 1, page 1:

(historical, military) A Greek, Albanian, Bulgarian or Serbian soldier, recruited to serve as body-guard to officials in the 18th-19th c. Wallachia and Moldavia. Greek militia units formed in Crimea, 1769.


ULDUSTA

(military) Acronym of ultimate duty station.


mutasarrif

mutasarrifs (plural)
mutesarrif (alternative)
mutessarif (alternative)
mutsarrif (alternative)
mutasarif (alternative)
mutasserif (alternative)
mutassarif (alternative)
mutassarrif (alternative)
mutussarif (alternative)

From Ottoman Turkish متصرف (mutasarrıf, “governor of a sanjak”) (modern Turkish mutasarrıf), from Arabic مُتَصَرِّف (mutaṣarrif, “autonomous one, governor of a province”), from تَصَرَّفَ (taṣarrafa, “to act, to act independently”).

der

(politics) The governor of a province in some Muslim contexts, particularly (historical) in the Ottoman Empire.


bird-dogging

Among his tasks in the lead up to 2000 was "bird-dogging", following candidates and asking pointed questions at each stop.

2021, Barbara Trish, William J Menner, chapter 4, in Inside the Bubble:

(politics, slang, intransitive) Following candidates and asking pointed questions at each stop.


Saxbe fix

After William B. Saxbe (born 1916), who was confirmed as Attorney General in 1973 after Congress reduced the office's salary to the level it had been before Saxbe's term commenced.

(US, politics) A solution to violations of a clause in the United States Constitution that prevents sitting members of Congress being appointed to jobs created for them or for which the salary was increased while they were in office.

(US, politics) Specifically, a method for correcting violations of Article 1, Section 6, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution.


possie

From position + -ie (“diminutive suffix”).

I'm just sitting in my possie, my place, waiting for something to happen.

1990, Matthew Kentridge, An unofficial war: inside the conflict in Pietermaritzburg:

'There is a beautiful odour in the possie where we are,' HG Clark wrote to his family...

2005, Matthew Wright, Western front: the New Zealand Division in the first World War, 1916-18:

Away from the firing line, these possies and dugouts could be made larger...

2006, Wesley Olson, Gallipoli: the Western Australian story:

(Australia, New Zealand, military slang, Digger slang) A firing position.


fragmentation grenade

en-noun

fragmentation grenade (plural fragmentation grenades)

(military) An anti-personnel weapon, thrown or otherwise propelled, designed to disperse shrapnel upon exploding.


prorogation

prorogation (countable and uncountable, plural prorogations)

/pɹəʊɹəˈɡeɪʃn̩/

From Anglo-Norman prorogation, Middle French prorogation, and their source, Latin prōrogātiō (“extension, postponement”).

der

There were extraordinary scenes of chaos and anger in the House of Commons overnight as opposition MPs staged a protest against the suspension of parliament for five weeks – a prorogation that the Speaker of the House said represented “an act of executive fiat”.

2019 September 10, Kate Lyons, “Brexit: chants of 'shame' as suspension of parliament descends into chaos”, in The Guardian:

(politics) The action of proroguing an assembly, especially a parliament; discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without dissolution.

(politics) The period of such a discontinuance between two sessions of a legislative body.


National Assembly

en-proper noun

National Assembly (plural National Assemblies)

National Assemblies (plural)
national assembly (alternative)

(politics, government) National legislature.


governor general

en-noun

governor general (plural governors general)

governors general (plural)
governor-general (alternative)

/ˈɡʌvənɚ ˌdʒɛn(ə)ɹəl/

/ˈɡʌv(ə)nə ˌdʒɛnɹəl/

[ˈɡɐv(ɘ̃)nɜ ˌdʒẽnɹɯ]

حَاكِم عَامّ

governor or viceroy possessing some military authority

The practice and usage have been recognised in a variety of instances by the Governors General of Louisiana.

1831, United States Congress, Congressional Edition, Volume 203, page 5:

1922, Philippines Gobernador-General, Report of the Governor General of the Philippine Islands to the Secretary of War:

Because of the military′s autonomy in the Japanese political system, the relationships of the governors general in Korea to the prime minister′s office in Japan remained ambiguous.

1988, John Whitney Hall, The Cambridge History of Japan: Heian Japan, page 246:

(politics) An official in a similar position in other countries.


MIRV

Picking up where we had left off at Vladivostok, we discussed verification of underground nuclear tests that each side could conduct, and also the rules for counting MIRVs — how to tell whether a missile had a single or a multiple warhead. There the Soviets granted a concession. If they placed a MIRV in a certain location, then we had the right to assume that every missile in that field had a MIRV capability.

1980, Gerald Ford, A Time to Heal, New York: Berkley Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 294:

The M.I.R.V. is a tactical nuke. Uh, fifty kilotons, nominal yield, say… five times Hiroshima.

1989, James Cameron, The Abyss (motion picture), spoken by Lt. Hiram Coffey (Michael Biehn):

(military) Initialism of multiple independently-targettable reentry vehicle; the independently targettable reentry capsule for a ballistic missile's payload, typically a nuclear weapon, where the missile has multiple instances of such.


MRV

multiple reentry vehicle
multiple reentry vehicle#English

(military) Initialism of multiple reentry vehicle: the reentry capsule for a ballistic missile's payload, typically a nuclear weapon, where the missile has multiple instances of such, but can only target one site with all reentry vehicles.


SLBM

The Circular Error Probable (CEPs) of SLBMs and SLCMs ought thus to be deliberately kept above the 'Hard Target Kill' (HTK) level.

1989, Marlies ter Borg-Neervoort, Wim Smit, Non-provocative Defence as a Principle of Arms Reduction:

ballistic missile
ballistic missile#English

(weaponry) Initialism of submarine-launched ballistic missile.


LRBM

long range ballistic missile
long range ballistic missile#English

(weaponry) Initialism of long range ballistic missile.


IRBM

intermediate-range ballistic missile
w:intermediate-range ballistic missile

(weaponry) Initialism of intermediate-range ballistic missile.


MRBM

medium range ballistic missile
medium range ballistic missile#English

(weaponry) Initialism of medium range ballistic missile.


SRBM

short-range ballistic missile
w:short-range ballistic missile

(weaponry) Initialism of short-range ballistic missile.


antiterrorism

Antiterrorism funding was increased after 2001.

(law enforcement, military, often attributive) Activity aiming at opposing or preventing terrorism.


emergency room

(Canada, US, Philippines, healthcare) A department of a hospital where seriously ill or injured patients, often with life-threatening conditions that require urgent or immediate treatment, are brought in, usually by ambulance.

otdelénije ékstrennoj medicínskoj pómošči

отделе́ние э́кстренной медици́нской по́мощи


alerion

alerions (plural)
allerion (alternative)

From Middle French alerion. Cognate to French alérion.

(heraldry) A heraldic eagle, especially one displayed without legs/feet or beak.


righty

(UK, informal, politics) A right-wing person.


cacolet

From French cacolet, from Béarnais Occitan cacoulet (“mule chair”).

(medicine, especially historical and military) A stretcher mounted on a pack animal similarly or singly.


fimbriated

(heraldry) Having a fimbriation, a thin border of a specified tincture.


fess point

fess points (plural)
fesse point (alternative)
fesse-point (alternative)

(heraldry) The exact centre of the shield.


imbrued

en-adj

imbrued (comparative more imbrued, superlative most imbrued)

more imbrued (comparative)
most imbrued (superlative)

He bears for Arms : Argent, on a chief vert, two spear-heads erect of the field, the points imbrued gules.

1895, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, Armorial Families: A Complete Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, and a Directory of Some Gentlemen of Coat-armour, and Being the First Attempt to Show which Arms in Use at the Moment are Borne by Legal Authority, page 133:


BQ

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Bloc Quebecois: a political party of Canada.


board of appeals

en-noun

board of appeals (plural boards of appeals)

(government, business) A panel of officials, typically appointed by an elected officer, charged with making decisions on the continuing applicability of administrative decisions.


LPC

LPC (countable and uncountable, plural LPCs)

personnel carrier
personnel carrier#English

(military, slang, humorous) Initialism of leather personnel carrier: a soldier's boot.


LPC

L.P.C. (alternative)
L. P. C. (alternative)

Liberal Party of Canada
w:Liberal Party of Canada

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Liberal Party of Canada.


catastrophic kill

catastrophic kill (plural catastrophic kills)

(military, slang) An instance of damaging a vehicle by weaponry that renders it both unusable and unrepairable.

katastrofinis sunaikinimas

damage inflicted on a vehicle by a weapon that renders it both unusable and unrepairable


PCC

police clearance certificate
w:police clearance certificate

(law enforcement) Initialism of police clearance certificate.


CPC

C.P.C. (alternative)
C. P. C. (alternative)

It is also evident that the struggle in the CPC and among its leaders mounted as the tasks confronting the Party and the nation grew more complex and Mao Tse-tung stepped up his efforts to impose his line and consolidate his personal power regime. The sharp aggravation of the differences in the CPC, that erupted into an open political clash, was generated by the serious and long-maturing crisis of the Maoist home and foreign policies. The "cultural revolution" was the culmination of this struggle, in which the problem of the power regime was closely coupled with ideological and political problems.

1980, Fedor Burlatsky, translated by David Skvirsky, Mao Tse-tung An Ideological and Psychological Portrait, Progress Publishers, page 182:

In planning and building the Xiong’an New Area [part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development program], under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee we should follow the underlying principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, and reinforcing and implementing the new development concepts.

2018, Xi Jinping, The Governance of China, volume II, Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 260:

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

(China, politics) Communist Party of China, the sole ruling political party in the People's Republic of China

(Canadian politics) Conservative Party of Canada, a political party in Canada


New Democrat

New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party

(Canadian politics) A member or supporter of the Canadian New Democratic Party.

(Canadian politics, nonstandard, attributively) Of or pertaining to the Canadian New Democratic Party or supporters thereof.

(US politics) A member of the New Democrats centrist faction of the American Democratic Party.


New Democratic

(Canadian politics) Of or pertaining to the Canadian New Democratic Party or supporters thereof.


LPQ

L.P.Q. (alternative)
L. P. Q. (alternative)

Liberal Party of Quebec
w:Liberal Party of Quebec

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Liberal Party of Quebec.


ADQ

(Canadian politics) Action démocratique du Québec (a political party in Quebec)


Action démocratique du Québec

the Action démocratique du Québec (canonical)

Action Democratique du Quebec
Action Democratique du Quebec#English

(Canadian politics) Alternative spelling of Action Democratique du Quebec — the Action démocratique du Québec


Action démocratique

Action democratique
Action democratique#English

(Canadian politics) Alternative spelling of Action democratique.


RCAP

Reform-Conservative Alliance Party
w:Canadian Alliance

(Canadian politics) Initialism of Reform-Conservative Alliance Party.


CRAP

(Canada, politics) Initialism of Conservative-Reform Alliance Party, since merged into the Canadian Alliance.


Natural Governing Party

So called because it has been the governing political party of Canada for most of its history.

Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada

(Canada, politics, slang) The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC).


Progressive Conservative Party

the Progressive Conservative Party (canonical)

Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada

Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada
Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada

Progressive Party of Canada
Progressive Party of Canada

(Canada, politics) a political party in Canada with a right of centre ideology, which succeed the old Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal-Conservative Party of Canada, Blue Party and absorbed the Progressive Party of Canada. It was itself succeeded by the new Conservative Party of Canada.


Progressive Conservative

Progressive Conservative (plural Progressive Conservatives)

Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party

(Canada, politics) A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.


Progressive Conservative

en-adj

Progressive Conservative (not comparable)

(Canada, politics) Pertaining to the Progressive Conservative Party.

progressiste-conservateur

pertaining to the Progressive Conservative Party


PASOK

Borrowed from Greek ΠΑΣΟΚ (PASOK), from πανελλήνιο (panellínio, “panhellenic”) + σοσιαλιστικό (sosialistikó, “socialist”) + κίνημα (kínima, “movement”).

One of the noticeable trends in European politics in the past decade has been the decline of the traditional center-left parties. This is described by the popular term "PASOKification," named after the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) of Greece and its epic fall from power in the 2010s.

2019, Jacob S. Cox, “PASOKification: Fall of the European Center Left or a Transformation of the System”, in Governance: The Political Science Journal, volume 6, number 5:

As such, the electoral collapse and marginalisation of PASOK was a prominent example of the general decline of major social-democratic parties in Western Europe, which was often accompanied by the emergence of nationalist, left-wing or right-wing parties. A trend labelled 'Pasokification'.

2020, Manina Kakepaki & Fani Kountouri, editors, Parliamentary Elites in Transition, Palgrave Macmillan Press, page 131:

(politics) The Panhellenic Socialist Movement, a Greek political party.


culture of death

en-noun

culture of death (plural cultures of death)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-culture of death.wav

(philosophy, politics) In contemporary political and philosophical discourse, a culture asserted to be inconsistent with the concept of a "culture of life", such as cultures that support contraception and abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, human cloning, self-absorption, apathy or poverty.

სიკვდილის კულტურა

in contemporary political and philosophical discourse, a culture that is deemed to be inconsistent with the concept of a "culture of life"


situationism

situationism (countable and uncountable, plural situationisms)

The situationists meant to define a stance, not an ideology, because they saw all ideologies as alienations, transformations of subjectivity into objectivity, desire into a power that rendered the individual powerless: “There is no such thing as situationism,” they said for years.

1989, Greil Marcus, Lipstick Traces, Faber & Faber, published 2009:

(politics) A mid-20th-century offshoot of Marxism, influenced by avant-garde art movements.


generalcy

(military) The rank or office of a general.


definitize

en-verb

definitize (third-person singular simple present definitizes, present participle definitizing, simple past and past participle definitized)

definitizes (present singular third-person)
definitizing (participle present)
definitized (participle past)
definitized (past)

As before, in order to definitize the solution, an initial condition is needed.

2005, Alpha Chiang, Kevin Wainwright, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill International, page 548:

(transitive, US military) To make (a contract, plan, or the like) definite.


flag carrier

Bill was the flag carrier of the movement to improve inner city education.

(politics) A strong supporter of a cause, or perhaps the strongest and most visible supporter of said cause.

(military, nautical) An aircraft carrier serving as a flagship.


antimajoritarian

Federalism itself is an antimajoritarian mechanism for, by devolving power to smaller constituencies, it places some policy issues beyond the reach of the center's majority.

2004, Ugo M. Amoretti, Nancy Gina Bermeo, Federalism and Territorial Cleavages, →ISBN, page 10:


rope-a-dope

He sounded like a retired boxer who'd specialized in the rope-a-dope.

I went into my own version of Ali's rope-a-dope, ducking as many of the heavy blows as I could, and waiting for some kind of idea to come to me.

(boxing) A technique in which the boxer assumes a defensive stance against the ropes and absorbs an opponent's blows, hoping to exploit eventual tiredness or a mistake.


dogfighting

dog fighting (alternative)
dog-fighting (alternative)

Here, in fighter-pilot language, you're taught the real essential — dogfighting, man-against-man, plane-against-plane — and in a way they never taught us.

1972 February 7, Kevin V. Brown, “Space-Age Dogfighting”, in Popular Science, page 74:

(military, aviation) Close combat between two military aircraft.


weapons tight

(military) An order that weapons may only be fired at targets (especially aircraft or missiles) that are positively identified as hostile.


weapons free

(military) An order that weapons may be fired at targets (especially aircraft or missiles) that are not positively identified as friendly.


weapons hold

(military) An order that weapons may be fired at targets (especially aircraft or missiles) only when under attack, or in response to a formal order.


reverberant

en-adj

reverberant (comparative more reverberant, superlative most reverberant)

more reverberant (comparative)
most reverberant (superlative)

/ɹɪˈvɜːbəɹənt/

/ɹəˈvɝbəɹənt/

From Middle French reverberant (present participle of reverberer), or directly from Latin reverberāns (present participle of reverberō); compare French réverbérant, Italian riverberante, Portuguese reverberante, and Spanish reverberante.

Their tailes forked, nowed, resignant, reuerberant, descendant, percussed and contercoloured. In all these fourmes, or likenesses they are descriued, and pictured: as also otherwise ensigned or marked, then here is remembred. Wherefore I wil presently write more, […]

1597, John Bossewell, Works of Armorie: devided into 3 Bookes, intituled the Concordes of Armorie, the Armorie of Honor and of lotes and creastes, page 42:

A Lion rampant regardant, the tail reverberant or beaten back, or reboundant, as having beaten it to his back, and it hath rebounded again from thence.

(heraldry, of a lion’s tail, rare) Turned up sigmoidally, with the end pointing outward; reboundant.


post-kinetic

These village kits were created to support the rifle companies in their post-kinetic activities, leader engagements, and mitigation of combat operations.

2007, Peter Pigott, Canada in Afghanistan: The War So Far:

...the speed necessary for post-kinetic stabilization in Baghdad and Anbar.

2007, United States Congress, Securing America's Interest in Iraq:

...we work with the Special Forces on post-kinetic security...

2008, United States Congress, Deconstructing Reconstruction:

(military, euphemistic) Following destructive warfare.


multiparty

Lawyers from Tobruk and Benghazi claim to be running civilian committees, and have called for the restoration of the 1952 constitution, amended to uphold a multi-party republic.

2011 February 25, “Building a new Libya”, in The Economist:

(politics) Involving several different political parties.

monipuolueinen

involving several different political parties


fire mission

(military) A communication between the fire direction center (FDC) and an observer to direct artillery on a target.


firepower kill

(military, slang) The damage inflicted by a weapon on a vehicle that destroys its weapon systems, or substantially reduces its ability to deliver weapons accurately, but does not significantly affect its ability to move.


hangar queen

hangar queens (plural)
hangar-queen (alternative)

In the Air Forces, "Hangar Queen" is not a proud title. It refers to any grounded plane which is being systematically "cannibalized" (stripped of its parts) so that other planes may fly.

1944 January 10, “‘Hangar Queen’”, in Time, retrieved 2008-07-12:

(idiomatic, slang, military, aviation) A grounded aircraft which is kept so that its parts can be used in other aircraft.