The Big Apple
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February 25, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Big White (White House nickname)

The White House is the official residence of the President of the United States (and family). The blog Michelle Obama's Mirror satirically covers the activities of the first lady of the United…

April 27, 2023
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Bigger Apple (Manhattan Institute newsletter)

The Manhattan Institute is a conservative American think tank focused on domestic policy and urban affairs, located at 52 Vanderbilt Avenue in Manhattan. In 2020, the Manhattan Institute started…

February 27, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Biocrat (biology + bureaucrat)

"Biocracy" (biology + -cracy) was coined in 1933 by Dr. William Bradford Cannon (1871-1945) of Harvard Medical School. According to an article in the February 10, 1933 Harvard Crimson,…

August 10, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Biostitute (biologist + prostitute)

A "biostitute" (biologist + prostitute) is a person who works for an industry such as Big Ag (agriculture), Big Oil, Big Pharma (pharmaceuticals) or Big Tobacco and is paid to defend the…

June 16, 2014
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Birkenstock Liberal

Birkenstock is a brand name of sandals and other shoes; they became popular in the United States in the 1990s. The term "Birkenstock (-wearing) liberal" became popular in 2003, when…

April 22, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Birther or Birfer (presidential citizenship skeptic)

Only a natural born citizen can become the president of the United States. President Barack Obama had a father from Kenya and some people believed that Obama was born in Kenya, making him…

August 30, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Black Budget

Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Black budget A black budget is a budget that is secretly collected from the overall income of a nation, a corporation, a society of any form, a national…

June 4, 2026
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Black Independence Day (June 19th)

"Black Independence Day" (formerly called "Negro Independence Day") is June 19th, also called "Juneteenth". Other names for this day are Emancipation Day,"…

June 16, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Black-Robed Gang (court judges)

The court dress of judges in the United States usually consists of black robes. The term "black-robed gang" refers to a court -- usually the United States Supreme Court -- and is a thinly…

August 9, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blameocracy (blame + democracy); Blameocrat (blame + bureaucrat)

A "blameocracy" (blame + democracy) is when one political party blames another political party for seemingly all of the country's problems, or when a president blames the previous…

August 23, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blogola (blog + payola)

"Blogola" (blog + payola) or "bloggola" (blogger + payola) is when a blog or a blogger receives money or free merchandise, presumably for a favorable write-up. The older term…

July 20, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blue Anon

"Blue Anon" is a term similar to QAnon, but referring to the politically "blue" (such as Democrats). If "QAnon" is a term for people on the right who believe in…

December 4, 2014
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blue Privilege (police blue + white privilege)

"Blue privilege" (police blue uniform + white privilege) describes the "privilege" of the police to use deadly force in policing. The term was popularized in November-December…

January 18, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blue Smoke and Mirrors

Entry in progress -- B.P. Bartleby.comRespectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989. NUMBER: 1415 AUTHOR: Jimmy Breslin (1929– ) QUOTATION: All political power is primarily an…

January 24, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Blue State/Red State

Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Red state and blue stateThe terms "red states" and "blue states" came into use in 2000 to refer to those states of the United States whose…

September 19, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Body Man

A "body man" is a politician's special personal assistant. The body man might fetch coffee or make sure the politician's tie is on straight for a debate. President John F.…

October 5, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Body Woman

A "body man" is a politician’s special personal assistant. A "body man" was always, historically, a man. New York (NY) Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd's June 29, 2008…

June 18, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

BOGSAT or BOGSATT (Bunch of Guys Sitting Around The Table)

"BOGSAT" (also "bogsat") stands for "Bunch of Guys Sitting Around a Table." Waldemar A. Nielsen coined the term in September 1961, during the President Kennedy…

September 3, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Boll Weevil Democrat

Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Boll weevils (politics)Boll weevils was an American political term used in the mid- and late-20th century to describe conservative Southern Democrats. During…

July 3, 2024
Food/DrinkGovernment/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Bollinger Bolshevik

The term "champagne socialist" is sometimes replaced with "Bollinger Bolshevik" or "Bolly Bolshevik." Wikipedia: Champagne socialist Champagne socialist is a political…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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