Canadians watching the US presidential campaign must sometimes think the Americans are speaking in tongues. As a service to the confused, I offer this short dictionary of current American dialect:
Angry liberals: Americans not registered as Republicans.
Bloviate: Offer political analysis in the style of a political blogger, i.e., without resorting to facts or logic.
Circular firing squad: McCain’s campaign team and supporters.
Defenestrate: To murder by shoving out of a high window; to fire from the McCain campaign.
Demagogue: Barack Obama.
Diva: From the Latin for “goddess”; female singer with a whim of steel; Sarah Palin.
Electoral College: The 528 Americans who actually pick the president of the 303 million other Americans.
Elitist: High school graduate, especially one who eats arugula.
Filibuster: Procedural sabotage of the people’s will; easily done in a US Senate with fewer than 60 Democrats.
Going rogue: Leaving Alaska in August and running your own campaign by October.
In the tank: A dedicated supporter of one candidate or the other; said especially of the US media about Obama.
Biased liberal media: Newspapers, magazines, and most TV networks using the English language.
Malkin award nominee: A political blogger promoting sympathetic bloggers’ grotesque opinions.
Nanny state: Country with speed limits and a reasonable healthcare system.
Narrative: The preferred lies of a political campaign.
Nuanced argument: One using occasional three-syllable words.
Obamobots: Americans unimpressed by the last eight years.
Poll porn: Political poll showing your opponent is in trouble.
Precriminations: Attacking your own campaign before it loses the election.
Pundit: High-functioning moron who can log on to Blogger or TypePad.
Robocalls: Phone spam.
Schadenfreude: The joy of the saved in Heaven contemplating the suffering of the damned in Hell; the pleasure of seeing Republicans confront justice.
Socialist: American who supports the idea of drinkable tap water and baby formula without melamine.
Spreading the wealth: Taxing people to pay for what they would prefer to get for nothing.
The Messiah: Barack Obama.
The One/The Anointed: Barack Obama.
Throw under the bus: Mildly criticize someone who has become a political liability.
Whack job: Sarah Palin.
Yglesias award nominee: A political blogger criticizing those on his or her own side for expressing grotesque opinions.
Comments