The Words of the Week - 7/16/21

’Coup’

Coup was in the news a great deal last week, following reports that a general had expressed concerns about one of these occurring in the time between when Joseph Biden was elected and when he took office.

Top U.S. Gen. Mark Milley feared Trump would attempt a coup after his loss to Biden, new book says
— CNBC, 15 Jul. 2021

We provide two meanings for coup: one is a shortening of coup d’etat, itself defined as “a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics; especially, the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group,” and the other is “a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful stroke or act.” It would appear that the general was concerned about the former definition, rather than the latter. Coup d’etat is a French expression that literally means “stroke of state,” with “stroke” meaning “knock” or “blow.”

’Flee’

Flee was also found in many news headlines recently, in reference to a group of Texas Democrats leaving that state.

Why Did Texas Democrats Flee the State? And What Does It Mean?
— (headline) The New York Times, 13 Jul. 2021

Some found the use of this verb to be inapt.

This is really, really irritating. @NYtimes, @Vox, @NBCNews, @AP, @Reuters, @Independent, all using the word "flee" to describe Texas lawmakers breaking quorum. No one was chasing them. This was a walk out. To say they are "fleeing" implies otherwise. pic.twitter.com/JlCoeinWRJ

— Alyssa Harad is at the sky place. DM for invites. (@alyssaharad) July 13, 2021

We have no opinion ourselves as to whether these politicians may properly be said to have fled, or if they merely decamped, or possibly absquatulated. It is worth noting, however, that flee is not restricted to a single meaning, and may be used in the senses of “to run away from or as if from danger or evil,” “to hurry toward a source of security or protection,” and “to leave abruptly; to depart from suddenly or unexpectedly.”

’Scapegoat’

A health official in Tennessee was fired recently, and charged that she was being scapegoated.

Editor's note: On Monday, July 12, the Tennessee Department of Health fired Dr. Michelle Fiscus, the top vaccine official in the Tennessee state government. Fiscus said she was scapegoated to appease Republican state lawmakers who are angry about efforts to vaccinate teenagers.
— The Tennessean (Nashville, TN), 12 Jul. 2021

As a noun scapegoat is now most often found in such senses as “one that bears the blame for others” and “one that is the object of irrational hostility.” Scapegoat is a compound of the archaic verb scape, which means "escape," and goat, and is modeled on a misreading of the Hebrew ʽazāzēl (which is probably the name of a demon) as ʽēz ‘ōzēl , "the goat that departs."

But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
—Leviticus 16:8-10 (King James Version)

More modern translations render scapegoat in this text as Azazel, but the misreading endured and has entered the lexicon. As a noun scapegoat has been in use for a considerable length of time (about 500 years); the verb sense, however, is quite recent, in use only since the middle of the 20th century.

’Scouser’

Scouser had a rare moment in the sun last week, in relation to a story about a British member of parliament, said parliamentarian’s attempts to sing a New Order song (the original version of which had featured rap vocals by a much beloved player for a Liverpool soccer team), and the resulting umbrage felt by some inhabitants of the city of Liverpool, who are often referred to as Scousers. It's a very British story, is what we're saying.

Scousers were left cringing after Jacob Rees-Mogg tried his hand at the John Barnes rap from a New Order anthem.
— Abigail Nicholson, The Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, Eng.)

Scouser comes from scouse , which is both “a dialect of English spoken in Liverpool” and a shortening of lobscouse (”a sailor's dish of stewed or baked meat with vegetables and hardtack”). The origin of "lobscouse" is not known for certain, although it's been suggested that it comes from a Norwegian stew called Lapskaus. Scouser is a demonym, a word used to denote a person who inhabits or is native to a particular place.

Our Antedating of the Week

Our antedating of the week is propagandize, defined as “to subject to propaganda,” and “to carry on propaganda for.” Propaganda itself came into English, in the 17th century, in a religious context. The Congregatio de propaganda fide (“Congregation for propagating the faith”) was an organization established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV as a means of furthering Catholic missionary activity. The senses of propaganda intended in propagandize are “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person” and “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause.” Our earliest record of propagandize had previously been from 1844, but recent findings show that this word was in use a decade and change earlier.

The sufferings and the conduct—the zeal, sincerity, & devotion of the Portuguese patriots must not then, I say, be forgotten—& we must not allow it to be said that we are propagandising in Portugal—that the Portuguese are indifferent—that they do not care for a constitution—or that they are uninterested, and merely look on as spectators whilst the conflict is going on.
— The Morning Chronicle (London, Eng.), 4 Sept. 1833