The Big Apple
About Archives Categories Index Search
About Archives Categories Index Search

June 25, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Quaxxxine or Quaxine or Quaxxine (quack + vaccine)

The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic led to vaccines. Some people who distrusted the vaccines called them "quaxine" or "quaxxine" or "quaxxxine" (quack + vaccine).…

April 12, 2020
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Queaster (quarantine + Easter)

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic resulted in quarantines, and this occurred on the Easter 2020 religious holiday on April 12, 2020. "Queaster" (quarantine + Easter) is a portmanteau…

March 22, 2006
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Quinnipiac (“Q-poll”) & Marist polls

Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut) is famous for its "Q-Poll" of local politics and issues. The polling started about 1990. Marist College (Poughkeepsie, New York) began its…

May 10, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Raaaaacism or Raaaaacist (“There are five A’s in ‘raaaaacism’”)

"Racism!" and "Racist! are politically charged terms, often used after other factual arguments fail. The political right has often charged that the political left uses the "race…

May 1, 2011
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Racer (race + -er)

The term "racer" (race + -er) follows such terms as "truther," "tenther" and "birther." Radio host Tony Katz coined "racer" in April 2011 to…

July 21, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Radish Communist (red on the outside, white on the inside)

Russian politician Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) was heckled by workmen in Kiev in 1919, He said the town was like a radish -- red (communist) outside, but white inside. "Radish" was cited in…

July 12, 2014
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Raging Moderate

"Raging moderate" is a political term that appears to be an oxymoron. Tennessee Senator Al Gore, Jr. was running for the Democratic presidential nomination in April 1987 when he described…

July 9, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Rainbow Jihad

American talk radio host and author Steve Deace popularized the term "Rainbow Jihad" in 2014 and 2015. The term refers to what other conservative writers have called the "gay…

January 9, 2016
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Rapefugee (rape + refugee)

The European migrant crisis of 2015 saw European countries admit many refugees. News of these refugees committing rapes resulted in the name "rapefugee" (rape + refugee).…

February 2, 2021
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Raw Dog Oxygen (breathing without a face mask)

"Raw dog" usually means sexual intercourse without a condom. The 2020 COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic resulted in requirements to wear face masks, and "raw dog oxygen" (or…

November 6, 2009
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Re-Re-Elect (third term election)

A politician is sometimes "elected" to a first term in office, "re-elected" to a second term, and "re-re-elected" to a third time. New York City's two-term mayor…

May 31, 2012
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Realville (a town in the real world)

"Realville" isn't any actual city or town, but it's an expression for a place that exists "in the real world" and has real world problems. Politicians and economists…

July 26, 2010
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Reasonoid (Reason Magazine reader nickname)

The libertarian Reason monthly magazine started a "Hit & Run" blog in 2002. Reason readers have been called "Reasonoids" since at least 2004. The nickname…

January 28, 2014
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Red Diaper Baby (child of Communists)

A "red diaper baby" is a child of Communist parents (and one who presumably inherits their political leanings). Barack Obama was called the "red diaper baby president."…

July 31, 2025
Government/Law/Military/Religion /HealthTime/Weather

Red Friday (Remember Everyone Deployed)

"Red Friday" is a tradition that people should wear red on Friday to support the military, with "RED" standing for "Remember Everyone Deployed." The tradition began in…

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

Red State/Blue 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…

December 18, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Redwash (communist red + whitewash)

"Redwash" (communist red + whitewash) is similar to such terms as "greenwash" (about the "green" environmental movement) and "pinkwash" (about the…

December 19, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Redwash (redskin + whitewash)

"Redwash" (redskin + whitewash) is similar to such terms as "greenwash" (about the "green" environmental movement) and "pinkwash" (about the "pink"…

February 6, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Reformicon (reform conservative)

"Reformicon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2010 in Canadian politics. The American use of "reformicon" was popularized by liberal American political…

February 6, 2015
Government/Law/Military/Religion /Health

Reformocon (reform conservative)

"Reformocon" (reform conservative) has been used since at least 2008 in Canadian politics. "Extremely well-positioned to be the leading reformocon in the Senate, but hasn't…

First
Previous
282 283 284 285 286
Next
Last

About the Website and Editor

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.

Read more About the Website and Editor
About
Privacy Policy
RSS

© 2026 Barry Popik. All rights reserved.