press corpse n.— «The rest of the White House “press corpse” sits back while Scott McClellan is allowed to stonewall with his favorite new phrase, “There is a serious investigation going on so we can’t comment further...
dibby-dibby adj.— «“Dibby-dibby” derives from a widely heard reggae tune about a girl with many boyfriends. It means fickle and indecisive.» —“Limbo Lingo Gives Politics a Lilt” by Julia Preston Washington...
road to Damascus experience n.— «The Washington summit did not prove a road-to-Damascus experience. Within twenty-four hours, Wallace, back on CBS’s Face the Nation, once again atttacked the media for its use of “unmitigated...
eve-teasing n.— «Goondaism refers to anti-social behavior of persons who generally indulge in violent and other “illegitimate means” to get things done.…While their student friends go to the classes, they sit in coffee...
run the traps v. phr. to investigate or pursue all possible options. Also run the trap line. Editorial Note: This term is especially common in politics. There is an American football term of the same name that refers to a type of offensive play...
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...