Word of the Day Archives - New Jersey Globe

misunderestimate

April 29, 2019 9:59 amApril 29, 2019 1:29 pm

misunderestimate “Misunderestimate” is a malapropism invented by President George W. Bush that has come to mean “to underestimate by mistake.” Bush accidentally used the term in a 2000 interview, saying, “They misunderestimated me.” He likely meant to say “underestimated” but...

snollygoster

April 26, 2019 9:37 amApril 29, 2019 1:31 pm

snollygoster A politician who will go to any lengths to win public office, regardless of party affiliation or platform. One of the earliest references comes from the Columbus Dispatch in October 28, 1895 which defined the term as “a fellow who...

agitprop

April 25, 2019 10:09 amApril 29, 2019 1:31 pm

agitprop Political propaganda, usually espousing a left-wing ideology and disseminated through literature or performing arts. The term is derived from the combination of the words “agitation” and “propaganda” and originally came from Soviet Russia as a shortened name for the...

Borking

April 24, 2019 9:44 amApril 29, 2019 1:32 pm

Borking To attack a person’s reputation and views. “Borking” was popularized by the Wall Street Journal editorial page after the Senate rejected the nomination of Robert Bork the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987. Bork himself later discussed the origination of the term...

Sister Souljah moment

April 23, 2019 8:47 amApril 29, 2019 1:32 pm

Sister Souljah moment The public repudiation of an extremist person or statement perceived to have some association with a politician or his party. It’s a strategy designed to signal to centrist voters to show that the politician is not beholden...

flake rate

April 19, 2019 9:47 am

flake rate The percentage of people who volunteer with a campaign to canvass or phone bank and then don’t show up. It’s used as a measure of complacency of a candidate’s supporters. Source: Taegan Goddard’s Political Dictionary

kangaroo ticket

April 18, 2019 9:55 amApril 18, 2019 3:57 pm

kangaroo ticket A ticket for an election in which the lower position is occupied by a more attractive candidate than the higher position. The Chicago Tribune defines it “a combination of nominees in which the running mate is more appealing than the presidential...