US Presidents Like to Make Up Words, Expressions
2024-02-18
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1And now Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2The third Monday of February is known as Presidents' Day in the United States.
3So, 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.
4From 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.
5"We're really creating our own institutions through language," said Paul Dickson.
6He is the writer of Words from the White House: Words and Phrases Coined or Popularized by America's Presidents.
7If you coin a word or phrase you create it.
8Thomas Jefferson, America's 3rd president, is said to have created more than a hundred words.
9One of the words is authentication - the act of proving or showing something to be true.
10Another word from Jefferson is Anglomania. It means to have extreme affection for all things English.
11The ending -mania means to be crazy about something.
12Abraham Lincoln, the country's 16th president, is known for making powerful speeches during the Civil War.
13One of his best-known phrases, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," is drawn from the Bible.
14Historians note that Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president, was the first president to use media to connect with the public.
15And he added several memorable words and phrases to American English.
16Dickson says, "Teddy Roosevelt creates this huge body of slang."
17The words include pack rat, loose cannon, lunatic fringe, and bully pulpit - among many others.
18A pack rat is someone who collects things that they do not need.
19A loose cannon describes a dangerous and uncontrollable person.
20Lunatic fringe describes people whose opinions are extreme and different from many others.
21And a bully pulpit is an important position, such as the presidency, that provides a chance to instruct, lead, or inspire others.
22In addition to slang, some presidents created slogans.
23A slogan is a short phrase used in advertising or political campaigns to get attention.
24America First came from Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president, in 1915, and not Donald Trump, the 45th.
25The 29th president, Warren Harding, gets credit for coming up with the term Founding Fathers.
26This describes the creators of the U.S. Constitution.
27Before Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, no political campaigner had ever called himself a law-and-order candidate.
28This means they support police efforts and enforcement of laws.
29The 33rd president, Harry Truman, came up with the phrase do-nothing Congress.
30He is also famous for the saying, If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
31Sometimes presidents changed names to better describe their purpose.
32Dickson says, "It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who changed the name of the 'Report to Congress' to the State of the Union."
33However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, brought criticism when he said, "Well, it's pretty iffy as to where the Supreme Court stands on this."
34Iffy is another way of saying something is uncertain or unknown.
35His critics felt that the American president should use "proper" English.
36In 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.
37But then he was criticized for using the word finalize in a speech.
38By adding -ize, he turned the word "final" into a verb.
39Major papers at the time wrote that it was not "proper English" and called the word "meaningless."
40Dickson says necessity is the reason presidents continue to create new words.
41There was a solid majority from Richard Nixon, the 37th president.
42And Barack Obama, the 44th president, used shovel-ready to describe public work projects that were ready to start immediately.
43When Joe Biden, the 46th president, ran for the White House in 2019, his campaign slogan was no malarkey.
44Malarkey is believed to be an expression often used by Irish Americans to describe insincere or meaningless talk.
45And that, my friends, is no malarkey. I hope you enjoyed this special presidential Words and Their Stories.
46Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2The 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. 3From 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. 4"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. 5Thomas Jefferson, America's 3rd president, is said to have created more than a hundred words. One of the words is authentication - 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. 6Abraham 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 drawn from the Bible. 7Historians note that Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president, was the first president to use media to connect with the public. And he added several memorable words and phrases to American English. 8Creating slang 9Dickson says, "Teddy Roosevelt creates this huge body of slang." The words include pack rat, loose cannon, lunatic fringe, and bully pulpit - among many others. 10A pack rat is someone who collects things that they do not need. 11A loose cannon describes a dangerous and uncontrollable person. 12Lunatic fringe describes people whose opinions are extreme and different from many others. And a bully pulpit is an important position, such as the presidency, that provides a chance to instruct, lead, or inspire others. 13Creating slogans 14In addition to slang, some presidents created slogans. A slogan is a short phrase used in advertising or political campaigns to get attention. 15America First came from Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president, in 1915, and not Donald Trump, the 45th. 16The 29th president, Warren Harding, gets credit for coming up with the term Founding Fathers. This describes the creators of the U.S. Constitution. 17Before 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. 18The 33rd president, Harry 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. 19Sometimes 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." 20Critics & criticisms 21However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, brought criticism when he said, "Well, it's pretty iffy as to where the Supreme 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. 22In 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. 23But then he was criticized for using the word finalize in a speech. By adding -ize, he turned the word "final" into a verb. 24Major papers at the time wrote that it was not "proper English" and called the word "meaningless." 25Dickson says necessity is the reason presidents continue to create new words. 26There 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. 27When 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. 28And that, my friends, is no malarkey. I hope you enjoyed this special presidential Words and Their Stories. 29Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 30Dora Mekouar wrote this story for VOA News. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 31______________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33unique - adj. being the only one of its kind 34slang - n. the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field 35slogan - n. an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product) 36proper - adj. following the established traditions of refined society and good taste 37We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expression in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is here.