Political Jargon for an Election Year

Words for an Election Year -- Merriam-Webster Editors' Revealing Look at Political Jargon

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With the 2004 election fast upon us, the candidates have a lot to say-to their constituents, and to each other. How is a voter to decipher the political jargon? Merriam-Webster editors have selected some examples of words and phrases finding favor with spin doctors and pundits and are ready to tell all about their meanings and origins. Definitions and behind-the-scenes etymological histories for ten "Words for an Election Year" can be found on Merriam-Webster OnLine (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Speaking of pundits, the word experts at Merriam-Webster explain that the original pundits were highly respected teachers and leaders in India and that their name was taken from the Hindi word pandit, a term of respect for a wise person that is derived from the Sanskrit pandita, meaning "learned." At the other end of the spectrum, the mugwump, defined as "an independent in politics," was depicted by a 1930s humorist as "a bird who sits with its mug on one side of the fence and its wump on the other." And if you think dirty politics are new, the story of roorback, a term defined as "a defamatory falsehood published for political effect," takes us back to campaign strategies of the mid-seventeenth century.

spin doctor \SPIN-dahk-ter\ noun :

a person (as a political aide) responsible for ensuring that others interpret an event from a particular point of view

The Story Behind the Word English speakers have been putting a "spin" (meaning "a particular emphasis or interpretation") on things since the early 1980s. The expression "to put a spin on" appears to have originated in the movie industry, but it was quickly snatched up by the political world. "Spin doctor" itself was likely coined during the 1984 Reagan-Mondale campaign, and by 1988 it was well enough established that William F. Buckley Jr. had cause to write "I am much impressed by the effects of what we have come to call the 'spin-doctors,' which is to say those who make it their business to induce the desired reaction."

For the complete list of Merriam-Webster's Words for an Election Year, including definitions and word histories, please visit http://www.Merriam-Webster.com/info/election.htm. For additional information, or to arrange an interview on this topic with Merriam-Webster editors, please contact Arthur J. Bicknell, Senior Publicist, at the above address.

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For more information about the company, and about the new Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, visit Merriam-Webster On Line at http://www.Merriam-Webster.com.

Arthur Bicknell, Senior Publicist
Merriam-Webster Inc.
Phone: (413) 734-3134 ext. 119
E-mail: abicknell@Merriam-Webster.com