Questions tagged [politics]
Use this tag to ask questions about the role, history, and usage of English in politics, or about English terminology relating to politics.
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What does performative mean in the news?
From a google I find these definitions:
relating to or of the nature of dramatic or artistic performance.
"films which push past the limits of current performative trends"
characterized ...
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What is a phrase for a person who changes their story to satisfy whoever they're addressing?
What is a phrase to describe a person (especially a woman) running for office who tells different political factions what they want to hear in order to win their vote?
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Is the phrase: "...obtained bipartisan political support for the project" redundant?
It appears that bipartisan does not solely refer to political parties, rather just support by two parties. However, would adding political after the phrase be redundant in nature, or more descriptive?
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A term (or phrase) for when a person tries to represent the rarest scenario as the most common
For context:
This term or phrase is what it's called when a person (very often used in political debates) will try to take the rarest occurrence of any particular topic and present it as if it's the ...
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How to characterize Machiavelli's phrase, "The ends justify the means"? [closed]
This question has been raised and thoroughly discussed: "How to characterize the phrase, 'The ends justify the means.'" I wish to add a thought. As I was writing a book for publication, I ...
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colonial heritage vs. colonial legacy
I'm trying to find the best translation for the German phrase "koloniales Erbe" as applied to a former colonial power, e.g. as used in the title of this conference. Both "colonial ...
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Is there a name for such political abbreviations as "libfem" for liberal feminism and "ancap" for anarcho-capitalism? [closed]
In the last ten years or so, I've seen these strange abbreviations all over the Internet. Besides the ones in the above title, I've seen these examples: "tradcath", "nazbol", "...
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What is an English phrase or idiom for an outsider suddenly taking control?
What is an English phrase or idiom with a negative connotation for "an outsider, most probably a non-politician, suddenly comes from nowhere and takes control of a political situation because the ...
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Is there a word for someone who would be a single-issue voter, even if not eligible to vote?
I'm 16 years old, so (at least where I am) I can't vote yet. If I could vote, I would be a "single-issue voter"; there is one political issue that is, to me, more important than any other. ...
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On the American usage of the words Congressman, Representative and Senator [closed]
From Merriam-Webster:
congressman
a member of a congress
especially : a member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Examples of congressman in a Sentence:
a former congressman who is now a senator
...
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What is the difference between annexation and accession?
In a Wikipedia discussion about the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation 'User:力' says:
For the record, if you ask the Russians, they would say that Accession of Crimea to the Russian ...
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What is the origin of the phrase "circular firing squad"?
I've found many definitions online of the term, which the OED says is "used in reference to a situation in which a group of people are engaged in self-destructive internal conflicts and mutual ...
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Question: Is it social democracy or Social democracy or Social Democracy? AP style [closed]
Sentence 1:
Similarily though he carried out many useful administrative reforms, in a vain effort to combat Social Democracy he seriously interefered with the liberty of public meeting and attempted ...
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Is America (grammatically) a "constitutional federal republic" or a "federal constitutional republic"?
Grammarly says the adjective federal goes before constitutional,
but I'm not sure what type of adjectives federal and constitutional are.
Here's what they said:
It appears that the modifiers in the ...
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When did the change occur in meaning of Afghan from an ethnic group to "person from Afghanistan?"
A related question can be found here, dealing with the usage of
"Afghan" to mean "inhabitant of Afghanistan." Which term is correct — "Afghan" or "Afghani"?
I'm ...
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When and where did the new sense of "normalize" begin?
In the traditional meaning, the word normalize means to take something that is outside of the normal boundaries and cause it to conform to them or to restore something to a normal state.
MW.com
...
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If I cannot win, then I will make it impossible for you to win
We have a joke about a foreigner that went to a wet market in zone 1 and saw a farmer selling live frogs in an open basket.
As we all know, frogs jump. Actually, they jump about quite a bit when in a ...
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What is the word to describe those who help a particular candidate to run an election?
In the most recent 2020 presidential election, each of the candidates must have many "staffs" or "advisors" to help run the election. But either calling them staffs or advisors ...
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Is there a word for an election candidate who does not want anyone to do the job?
There are terms for election candidates who have no intention of winning. These include paper candidates, fielded to allow people to show support for a point of view, but where the candidate does not ...
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Is there a word/phrase to describe a government's leading power during wartime instability?
So in a wartime scenario where a nation's government is undergoing upheaval from various factions gaining and losing power, is there a proper word/phrase to describe "the current group in charge&...
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Another name for a political cartoonist
I recall reading a chapter in my government and economics class about political cartoons. There was a particular name for people who illustrate political cartoons. I've only been able to come up with ...
user48030
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Are there any publications which would indicate that American journalists understand the concept of ‘auto-coup’ or ‘self-coup'?
On the 6th of January, 2021, in the United States, it appears there was an armed insurrection that reached beyond the Capitol steps while in session, an action which may have been encouraged tacitly ...
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British Prime Ministers are either vicars or bookies: quote origin?
The old adage has it that British prime ministers are either vicars or bookmakers. In Phoney Tony the country has a bookie masquerading as a vicar, a posture that does little for the standing of ...
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Civics: word for a representative's constituent who voted or will vote for them
In the U.S. as an example, a senator represents constituents -- the people in her area of representation. What's a word or short term for those constituents who voted for her?
As a more concrete ...
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Is the term "sexual preference" generally considered offensive now, and has it always been?
In American politics, Judge Amy Barrett used the term "sexual preference" during her confirmation hearing. This was criticized as offensive by writers at publications such as CNN, USAToday, ...
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what is the difference between propaganda and hoax?
I was looking for definitions of propaganda and hoax. The problem is that people in the internet are trying to post their own definitions without a clarification.
At the end I chose these following ...
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Specific Term for prejudice/prejudiced behaviour (racial, gender, etc...) that justifies itself by a prior history of prejudice?
If someone made the following, certainly problematic, statements:
"There is a higher risk (member of oppressed minority) will underperform at a job or task, since it is more likely they are ...
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What word or phrase represents this notion?
It is a traditional word or phrase which when used in the context of politics means that a territory or a nation, is capable of sustaining itself and flourishing by virtue of some inherent natural ...
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Why does the term Petri Dishes appear so regularly in political discourse nowadays?
On three occasions on Twitter and other social media platforms, the term "Petri Dishes" appears in a non-scientific context. Is this just a recent fad? It appears to be in the lexicon of many of our ...
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Origin and evolution of the term "deep state" in political discourse
In the April 2020 issue of The Atlantic, George Packer offers this interesting but brief discussion of the term deep state in his article "The President Is Winning His War on American ...
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Is there another word for bipartisan to mean all parties?
I find myself needing to write about a "bipartisan" issue, in a country which, unlike the US, doesn't have two main parties. Would the word thus still be "bi"partisan, or something more akin to "...
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"Politics stops at water’s edge" -- meaning
I read the following phrase in the topic of foreign policies of a country,
"It stops at water's edge."
What does "politics stops at water’s edge" mean?
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what did Mr. Tester mean by saying to Dennis Muilenberg that you are 'pivoting' in the Congressional testimony of 737 Max?
I was looking at a video of Congressional testimony about the Boeing 737 MAX airplane, and if you jump to 1 hour 47 minutes in the Q&A with Mr. Muilenberg (the CEO of Boeing), Senator Tester ...
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Is there a word for anti - or complete lack of political beliefs?
edit
Basically, I'm trying to come up with a name for a new motorcycle club. I've been in others before and they seem to get ruined by politics and unnecessary alliances. I am hoping that there's a ...
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Two meanings of word "government" [closed]
I noticed that in English language "government" can mean "any legal authority" or it can mean specifically "the executive branch of power (like Cabinet of Ministers)". What is primary meaning, that is ...
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What is a word/phrase that could be defined as “the conflict between individual liberty and the public interest”?
What is a word/phrase that could be defined as “the conflict between individual liberty and the public interest”?
I.e. the conflict between the state protecting individual rights and the state ...
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What does “Commander-in-Soy” versus “alpha” mean?
Today’s (January 26th) Washington Post reported President Trump’s decision to end the government shutdown under the headline, “Trump caves” or “Genius.” : Right wing splits after Trump ends shutdown ...
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Word for "proportional government based on map area"?
Since the US election the other day, I've started seeing the usual spate of choropleth maps like the one below.
[source and discussion]
These are problematic for representing the results of political ...
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What is the meaning of “crew-cut Democrat”?
According to Merriam-Webster, a crewcut is “…a very short haircut usually for men or boys in which the hair resembles the bristle surface of a brush”
I found several instances online that used this ...
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Political catchwords used to misguide? [closed]
I remember reading a Wikipedia article about a linguistic category of catchwords used in politics which refer to ill-defined ideas. They are left purposefully vague so their exact meaning is left ...
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Opposite of '-cracy/-archy'?
Something + -cracy/-archy (“strength, power”) produces a word meaning ‘rule by those who are/have/were whatever the something is’. For example, ‘plutocracy’ is pluto- (“wealth”) + -cracy and means ‘...
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'Androcracy'/'gynocracy' are hyponyms of, and 'oligocracy'/'oligarchy' is a hypernym of, what term?
What is the term for an oligocratic/oligarchic political system—one in which power is held by a subset of the overall population—where the power allocation is based on one's sex?
A society run by men ...
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What does “It’s just another day in paradise.” mean in political and diplomatic context in association with U.S. and Russia summit talks?
I came across a phrase, “It’s just another day in paradise” in an article by The Hill (July 20) that came under the title, “Trump demoralized his own team with dizzying Russian moves.”
It reads;
“...
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Meaning of "The quit vetting politicians a long time ago"
people! Can you help with this?
MAN 1: I'm not sure I'll withstand the vetting.
MAN 2: They quit vetting politicians a long time ago. Let's go figure out the how.
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Was the adjective 'Soviet' more commonly used than 'Russian' during the cold war?
Watching 'The Crown' made me wonder whether the usage of 'Russian' is anachronistic in the show. I.e. whether common usage in the UK and the USA would have been 'Soviet Tanks' or 'the Soviets' when ...
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Is criminalisation the right word to describe the involvement of criminals?
In the Indian media and public discourse, the phrase 'criminalisation of politics' is often used to indicate one or more of the following:
The nexus between organized crime and politics
High, and ...
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Reagan's quote on the best social program
According to
http://www.azquotes.com/quote/653562
Ronald Reagan said that "I believe the best social program is a job"
Now, I am not sure if I understand this correctly.
For, the term social ...
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Synoynms for 'minister' (in a political context) that do not imply leadership of a ministry or department?
I am leading an initiative in my micronation-state (for information on micronations in general, see Wikipedia), the Republic of Glastieve (see Micronations Wiki and again), which recently launched the ...
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Meaning and etymology of the "Rhodesia Solution" [closed]
An example of the term "Rhodesia solution" being used is in The whisky Priest, an episode from the BBC comedy series Yes Minister, which follows a government minister and some of his closest staff ...
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Why is the singular “Olympic Athlete From Russia” used for an ice-hockey team?
It’s definitely more than one athlete in the Russian team.
On TV:
On the web
And they did it all the time till the finals:
Clearly, it wasn't an arbitrary error or slip-up.
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