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September 25, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hippie Punching

White House political advisor David Axelrod was asked about "hippie punching" in September 2010, but Axelrod wasn't familiar with the term. New York magazine defined "hippie…

April 30, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hispandering (Hispanic + pandering)

"Hispandering" (Hispanic + pandering) occurs when a someone (such as a politician) panders to a Spanish-speaking constituency. The politician might produce election literature half in…

September 13, 2025
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hoaxassination (hoax + assassination)

"Hoaxassination" is a portmanteau of the words "hoax" and "assassination." A purported assassination is a fake. "Both. Kubrick also directed the JFK…

November 19, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hoaxdemic (hoax + pandemic)

"Hoaxdemic” (hoax + pandemic) means a fake pandemic. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has been sometimes described as a "hoaxdemic." "#HoaxDemic" was posted on Twitter…

December 14, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hoaxiversary (hoax + anniversary)

A "hoaxiversary" (hoax + anniversary) is the annual remembrance of a hoax or a false flag, which some believe include the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the…

November 19, 2022
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hoaxvid-19 (hoax + COVID-19)

"Hoaxvid-19" (hoax + COVID-19) is a term that has been used by people who believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax. "New strain Hoaxvid-45 virus" was posted on Twitter by…

September 25, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hold On Pain Ends (“hope” backronym)

Entry in progress -- B.P. TwitterStarboyNathan‏@StarboyNathanA wise man once said hope stands for Hold On Pain Ends -5:37 AM - 17 Sep 13

July 30, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hollow Prize

The concept of minority mayors winning a "hollow prize" comes from the study, Black Control of Central Cities: The Hollow Prize (1969), by H. Paul Friesema. When a minority finally rises…

November 30, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Holy Grail of Liberalism (tax increases)

Mitch McConnell, a United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican minority leader of the Senate, came out of "fiscal cliff" budget negotiations with President Barack Obama in…

December 11, 2008
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Honest Politician (when bought, stays bought)

In politics, an "honest man" is often described as someone (a politician or a voter) who, when bought, stays bought. A "dishonest man" is someone who sides with the person who…

June 26, 2013
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hope Bubble

A "hope bubble" is a a philosophy of hope that someone has. "Hope bubble" has been cited in print since at least 2002, but the term became popular since 2008. Barack Obama…

February 11, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hopium (hope + opium)

"Hopium" (hope + opium) has been cited in print since at least 2003 to describe a drug of addicting "hope." Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign used "hope and…

August 5, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hot Tub (Washington, D.C. nickname)

M. Stanton Evans wrote in the late 1980s about the Reagan Republicans who came to Washington: "Most conservatives know when they come to Washington that it is a sewer; the trouble is, too many…

October 29, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Hot-Button Issue

A "hot button issue" (also "hot-button issue") is an emotional, explosive, highly divisive political issue (such as abortion). The issue touches a "hot button" (like a…

December 3, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

House of Corruption (UK House of Commons nickname)

The House of Commons (HOC) is the lower house and de facto primary chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Some critics of the House of Commons have called it the "House of…

June 12, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

House of Reprehensibles (House of Representatives nickname)

The United States House of Representatives is one of two houses (along with the Senate) of the United States Congress; there are also state houses of representatives. The derogatory nickname of…

July 15, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Human Chop Shop (Planned Parenthood nickname)

A "chop shop" is an auto body "shop" where vehicles are "chopped" up for their parts. Abortion clinics have also been called "chop shops." "I agree with…

April 26, 2016
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

I-95 Primary (Northeast presidential primaries)

The U.S. presidential primaries on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, held in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, were dubbed the “I-95 Primary." Interstate…

October 11, 2016
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

I.O.U.S.A. (IOU + USA)

"I.O.U.S.A." (IOU + USA) was printed in an income tax poem by an anonymous author that appeared in several newspapers since 1952: "Income tax is almost due,And this makes me,…

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

Iatrogenic Government

Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003) was the United States Senator from New York when he wrote the essay "Iatrogenic Government: Social Policy and Drug Research" for The American Scholar…

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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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