The word filibuster has a colorful etymology. It goes back to a Dutch word, vrijbuiter, which means “plunderer” or “robber,” the source also of the English word freebooter, or “pirate,” and a linguistic relative of English booty, or “spoils.” In...
A Los Angeles, California, listener says his grandmother, a native Spanish-speaker, used the word filibustero to mean “ruffians.” Any relation to the English word filibuster? As a matter of fact, yes. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
PQing n.— «Minority Democrats, who had filibustered the bill for dozens if hours earlier in the session, delayed the inevitable for an additional nine hours of debate which came to an end early Thursday morning. That’s when majority Republicans...
nuclear option n. especially in politics, an action of last resort; in recent years in the U.S., an extreme method of overcoming a filibuster related to the confirmation of judicial nominees. Editorial Note: This term was not coined by U.S. Senator...