US Presidents Like to Make Up Words, Expressions

US Presidents Like to Make Up Words, Expressions

　　And now Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

　　The third Monday of February is known as Presidents' Day in the United States. So, for today's Words and Their Stories, we look at some of the famous and not-so-famous presidential words and their stories in history.

　　From Teddy Roosevelt's lunatic fringe to Joe Biden's malarkey, the words and phrases said by U.S. presidents are often as unique as the American experience.

　　"We're really creating our own institutions through language," said Paul Dickson. He is the writer of Words from the White House: Words and Phrases Coined or Popularized by America's Presidents. If you coin a word or phrase you create it.

　　Thomas Jefferson, America's 3rd president, is said to have created more than a hundred words. One of the words is authentication¹ – the act of proving or showing something to be true. Another word from Jefferson is Anglomania. It means to have extreme affection for all things English. The ending -mania means to be crazy about something.

　　Abraham Lincoln, the country's 16th president, is known for making powerful speeches during the Civil War. One of his best-known phrases, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," is drawn² from the Bible.

　　Historians note that Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president, was the first president to use media to connect with the public. And he added several memorable³ words and phrases to American English.

　　Creating slang

　　Dickson says, "Teddy Roosevelt creates this huge body of slang." The words include pack rat, loose cannon⁴, lunatic fringe, and bully⁵ pulpit – among many others.

　　A pack rat is someone who collects things that they do not need.

　　A loose cannon describes a dangerous and uncontrollable person.

　　Lunatic fringe describes people whose opinions are extreme and different from many others. And a bully pulpit is an important position, such as the presidency⁶, that provides a chance to instruct, lead, or inspire others.

　　Creating slogans

　　In addition to slang, some presidents created slogans. A slogan is a short phrase used in advertising⁷ or political campaigns to get attention.

　　America First came from Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president, in 1915, and not Donald Trump⁸, the 45th.

　　The 29th president, Warren Harding, gets credit for coming up with the term Founding Fathers. This describes the creators of the U.S. Constitution.

　　Before Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, no political campaigner had ever called himself a law-and-order candidate. This means they support police efforts and enforcement of laws.

　　The 33rd president, Harry⁹ Truman, came up with the phrase do-nothing Congress. He is also famous for the saying, If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

　　Sometimes presidents changed names to better describe their purpose. Dickson says, "It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who changed the name of the ‘Report to Congress' to the State of the Union."

　　Critics & criticisms

　　However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, brought criticism when he said, "Well, it's pretty iffy as to where the Supreme¹⁰ Court stands on this." Iffy is another way of saying something is uncertain or unknown. His critics felt that the American president should use "proper" English.

　　In 1961, Dwight Eisenhower, the 34th president, was praised for using the term military-industrial complex to warn against the powerful alliance of the military, government, and private corporations.

　　But then he was criticized for using the word finalize¹¹ in a speech. By adding -ize, he turned the word "final" into a verb.

　　Major papers at the time wrote that it was not "proper English" and called the word "meaningless."

　　Dickson says necessity is the reason presidents continue to create new words.

　　There was a solid majority from Richard Nixon, the 37th president. And Barack Obama, the 44th president, used shovel-ready to describe public work projects that were ready to start immediately.

　　When Joe Biden, the 46th president, ran for the White House in 2019, his campaign slogan was no malarkey. Malarkey is believed to be an expression often used by Irish Americans to describe insincere or meaningless talk.

　　And that, my friends, is no malarkey. I hope you enjoyed this special presidential Words and Their Stories.

　　Words in This Story

　　unique – adj. being the only one of its kind

　　slang – n. the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field

　　slogan – n. an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product)

　　proper – adj. following the established traditions of refined society and good taste

1 authentication   

鉴定，认证

参考例句：

• Computer security technology includes mainly:Authentication,Encryption,Access Control,Auditing and so on.计算机网络安全技术主要有: 认证授权、数据加密、访问控制、安全审计等。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

4 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

5 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

11 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。