Welcome to our blog post! Today, we’ll learn about political idioms. These are special phrases that help us talk about politics in a fun and interesting way.
Political Idioms
Here are 20 political idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
Throw one’s hat in the ring
Meaning: Decide to run for political office
Example: He threw his hat in the ring during the election.
Cross the floor
Meaning: Change political parties
Example: She decided to cross the floor after the dispute.
A political football
Meaning: An issue used for political advantage
Example: Healthcare has become a political football.
Toe the party line
Meaning: Follow the party’s policies
Example: He always toes the party line during debates.
Spin doctor
Meaning: A person who interprets events for the media
Example: The spin doctor handled the interview well.
A lame duck
Meaning: An ineffective politician
Example: After losing support, he was a lame duck.
Grassroots support
Meaning: Support from ordinary people
Example: She gained grassroots support with her honesty.
Rubber-stamp
Meaning: Automatically approve decisions
Example: The committee will just rubber-stamp the proposal.
Dark horse
Meaning: A less-known competitor or candidate
Example: He was a dark horse in the race.
The power behind the throne
Meaning: A person with influence but not in office
Example: She is known as the power behind the throne.
Pork barrel
Meaning: Government spending for localized projects to win votes
Example: That bill is classic pork barrel politics.
Red tape
Meaning: Excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules
Example: We’re stuck dealing with all this red tape.
A political hot potato
Meaning: A controversial issue
Example: Gun control is a political hot potato.
Jump on the bandwagon
Meaning: Join a growing movement
Example: Politicians quickly jumped on the bandwagon.
Fence-sitting
Meaning: Indecision or neutrality
Example: He’s been fence-sitting on the issue for months.
Swing state
Meaning: A state that could vote for either major political party
Example: Ohio is considered a swing state.
Kingmaker
Meaning: A person who influences leadership decisions
Example: He acted as a kingmaker in the last election.
The eleventh hour
Meaning: The last moment
Example: Decisions were made at the eleventh hour.
White elephant
Meaning: A costly but useless possession
Example: The new office building is a white elephant.
Whistle-stop tour
Meaning: A political campaign tour with brief stops
Example: The candidate went on a whistle-stop tour across the state.
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