# Political Slang **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784 "2022-02-19T15:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/1 "2022-02-19T15:15:01Z")
Not long ago, politicians worldwide acquired the habit of asking themselves a series of questions and then answering them “yes” or “no”. Maybe it started with Bush and Rumsfeld, but I do not know. Will this be the last time this technique is used? No. Was there anything grating or condescending involved? Yes. Did it catch on and get used by every empty suit? Yes. Then came “We stand together with the people of….” often as a substitute for action. In Canada, the phrase was trotted out after disasters and foreign crises. More lately, the tough and somehow infantile “Make no mistake!”. Unsure of its provenance but was used a lot recently in press conferences about the Canadian convoy. 1. **What political slang is commonly used in your country? What other expressions amuse or annoy you?** 2. **Where do these phrases come from?** 3. **What similar expressions were used on the past but have had their day in the sun?** ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/2 "2022-02-19T16:05:15Z")
btw is much of that even slang (as opposed to rhetorical devices and semantic disfluencies)? How about all the jargon like “aide-mémoires”, “cables”, “residents” [ie spies], etc. I’m sure ministry workers, White House officials, and so on have lots of their own fascinating slang ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/3 "2022-02-19T17:17:17Z")
I think what the OP has in mind might best be termed “clichés” (and evasive ones at that). “Let me be perfectly clear” (='I’m trying to be anything but") or “We’ve always said…” (=“but we’ve no intention of doing it, unless er absolutely have to”). But fashions come and go. Resigning “to spend more time with the family” quickly became derided, to the point where someone once said “I have nothing against X’s family, but shouldn’t he be spending more time with them?” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/4 "2022-02-19T17:33:07Z")
Yeah, slang might not be the word. Commonly used current expressions by politicians in speeches and press conferences? How do you summarize that? Glib expressions? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/5 "2022-02-19T19:39:29Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > We stand together with the people of We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of (UK) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/6 "2022-02-19T19:46:57Z")
Maybe _political soundbites_? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/7 "2022-02-19T19:48:52Z")
One thing that does irk me about Trudeau is he is always talking about _the middle class, and those who aspire to join them_. In Canada, everyone I know considers themselves “middle class”. Even over 90% of my medical school class did. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/8 "2022-02-19T20:09:49Z")
“Tired and emotional” as code for “drunk” [Tired and emotional - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tired_and_emotional) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/9 "2022-02-19T22:42:46Z")
How about “thoughts and prayers”? Code for “tough shit”. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/10 "2022-02-19T22:46:30Z")
“…in order to spend more time with my family.” Means he’s resigning before any serious investigations into his crimes begin. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/11 "2022-02-19T22:51:38Z")
+1. Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/12 "2022-02-19T23:08:07Z")
Witch hunt = Look the other way, I didn’t do nothin’. George Soros = the bogeyman. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/13 "2022-02-19T23:48:07Z")
“Class Warfare” = Stop complaining about the poor beset class that is swinging the axes and flailing away with the maces. Though probably not his original talking point, Limbaugh used to bitch about “class warfare” constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/14 "2022-02-20T21:42:54Z")
The current fury-inducing practice in the UK is the Faux Apology. Something which includes the word “sorry” but which is not even close to being an apology. Example: “Minister, would you like to take this opportunity to apologize for being present at a drunken party in Downing Street at the height of lockdown? People are furious about it.” “Well, I’m very sorry if people have jumped to a conclusion about what happened…” Home Secretary Priti Patel does this all the time. > **[Opinion: Priti Patel’s ‘I’m sorry you were upset’ is not a proper apology](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/priti-patel-apology-bullying-boris-johnson-b1759275.html)** > >  The government’s response to breaching ministerial code is not good enough   > **[People are making hilarious parodies of Priti Patel's 'non apology' over PPE...](https://www.indy100.com/viral/priti-patel-ppe-briefing-twitter-coronavirus-9462211)** > > Home Secretary Priti Patel is "sorry if people feel there have been failings" over providing protective equipment to NHS workers. Her use of the classic non-apology line (I'm sorry if you feel that way...) during Saturday's press briefing side... j ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/15 "2022-02-20T22:00:12Z")
State of the Union Address coming up. I hope the state of the union is still strong! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/16 "2022-02-20T22:39:16Z")
The rise in the word “optics” about political speech and events bugs me. It’s not completely new usage, but the prevalence has gone way up in the 2000s. Part of it is that the word annoys me, but mostly it’s because it signifies we’ve gone meta, placing more importance on how we talk about things than the things themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/17 "2022-02-20T22:44:32Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Not long ago, politicians worldwide acquired the habit of asking themselves a series of questions and then answering them “yes” or “no”. Maybe it started with Bush and Rumsfeld, but I do not know. Will this be the last time this technique is used? No. Was there anything grating or condescending involved? Yes. Did it catch on and get used by every empty suit? Yes. > [@Are self-questioners annoying? Yes. Will they stop? Probably not.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-self-questioners-annoying-yes-will-they-stop-probably-not/204957): > > Are self-questioners annoying? Sure. What is self-questioning? It’s when people ask questions of themselves so they can immediately supply the answer they want. Could they accomplish the same goal without self-questions. Yes, by using declarative sentences. Could I write an entire post this way? Sure, just by putting a question before every statement I want to make. Is this tactic annoying? As all fuck. Will it stop? Not anytime soon? Has there been a lot of it lately? You can find example… ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2022, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/18 "2022-02-20T22:46:13Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > the Faux Apology I’ve used this one myself to great effect. And I’m not even a politician, just a volunteer, doing my job when someone overheard me giving asked for information and got his undies in a bundle. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/19 "2022-02-21T00:07:54Z")
A phrase that’s caught on, that I find annoying, is “At the end of the day . . .” It seems to mean about the same as “When all is said and done . . .” (a lot more gets said than done). > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > More lately, the tough and somehow infantile “Make no mistake!” That one may be more vintage than you remember. IIRC, Richard Nixon said that a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784/20 "2022-02-21T00:58:48Z")
One of my favorite political non answers comes in response to questions about whether some person is going to seek higher office. “I have no plan to do so.” (Unstated: But I might develop a plan!) By staying in the present tense, the politico avoids “lying” if - when - later, they completely change their mind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-slang/959784.md?page=2)