The Words of the Week - Mar. 8

‘Hogwash’

A Republican who won the gubernatorial primary in North Carolina has drawn attention to hogwash after it was reported that he had used this word in reference to the Holocaust.

Opponents also point out that Robinson has slammed public school teachers as “wicked people”; revealed himself to be a full-throated election denier, saying Biden “stole the election”; and cast doubt on whether the Holocaust occurred, calling its existence “hogwash” in 2017 Facebook posts.
— Adam Edelman, NBC, 5 Mar. 2024

In current use hogwash typically means “nonsense.” When the word first came into English in the the 15th century it had a somewhat more literal meaning: hogwash was the common term for the garbage or slops that were mixed with water, or sour or skimmed milk, and fed to pigs. In the 17th century the word was also applied to weak inferior liquor or any worthless stuff. Following this, the word came to be used for worthless art, writing, or ideas (especially in American use).

‘Primary’

This past week held Super Tuesday, the day on which the greatest number of states hold presidential primaries each election cycle.

Voters in 16 states and one territory headed to the polls in the largest contest so far in the 2024 presidential primary.
— NBC News, 5 Mar. 2024

A primary is an election in which qualified voters nominate or express a preference for a particular candidate or group of candidates for political office, choose party officials, or select delegates for a party convention. Primary differs from a similar political word, caucus, in that caucus is often used to refer to a group of people who meet to choose candidates, and primary tends to refer to an election that is held to choose candidates. 

‘Stridency’

Stridency made a rare appearance in a Supreme Court opinion, and many people turned to their dictionaries to look this word up as a result.

Barrett also appeared to question the tone of the liberals. She lamented the rhetoric used in their opinion, which she said threatened to overshadow the 9-0 decision amid an election season. This isn’t “the time to amplify disagreement with stridency,” she said.
— Kimberly Strawbridge Robinson, Bloomberg Law, 4 Mar. 2024

We define stridency as “the quality or state of being strident,” and strident as “having an unpleasant usually irritating effect; loudly or obtrusively commanding notice or recognition.” The word comes from the Latin stridēre, “to make a harsh noise”; another sense of strident is “characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound.”

‘Rigged’

Comments made by Rep. Katie Porter, after finishing third in an open primary for a senate seat in California, caused the word rig to spike.

Porter doubles down on claims California Senate race was ‘rigged by billionaires’ after loss
— (headline) The Hill, 7 Mar. 2024

Rig is a highly polysemous word (it has many meanings), and may function as a verb or a noun. The sense relevant here is “to manipulate or control usually by deceptive or dishonest means,” which has been in English since the early 19th century, when it mainly referred to business practices. This “dishonest” sense of the verb is preceded by the noun form of rig (“a swindle”), in use since the 17th century.

Words Worth Knowing: ‘Eudaemonic’ and ‘Infelicific’

Recognizing that the weekend may bring a variety of human experiences, we would like to give you two words worth knowing. Eudaemonic is defined as “producing happiness,” and infelicific is “productive of unhappiness.” Between these two you should be able to adequately describe any possible outcome of your weekend.