Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A traveling bag made of carpet fabric that was used chiefly in the United States during the 19th century.
- adj. Carpetbagging.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A traveling-bag made of carpeting on a frame; hence, by extension, a traveling-bag of any kind similarly formed.
- Of or characteristic of carpet-baggers: as, carpet-bag government; carpet-bag politics.
- To act or live in the manner of a carpet-bagger.
Wiktionary
- adj. having the characteristics of carpetbaggers
- n. A traveling bag made from carpet scraps used primarily in the United States in the 19th century.
- v. To come to a place or organisation with which one has no previous connection with the sole or primary aim of personal gain, especially political or financial gain.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A portable bag for travelers; -- so called because originally made of carpet.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. presumptuously seeking success or a position in a new locality
- adj. following the practices or characteristic of carpetbaggers
- n. traveling bag made of carpet; widely used in 19th century
Etymologies
- carpet + bag (Wiktionary)
Examples
“His decision to immediately depart that position and to "carpetbag" over from Burbank/Glendale over into the Eastern San Fernando Valley would not be met with joy by many of the voters who elected him in November.”
“Such states as had complied and given the negro the right to vote were under "carpetbag" rule.”
“Candace Chesterwood tossed a stack of silk handkerchiefs and a lavender pomade into her threadbare carpetbag and closed the latches with an authoritative snap.”
“In Syfy's new series Hollywood Treasure (Wednesdays at 10/9c), auctioneer Maddalena travels the world to save the cultural artifacts from film and history — including the original Wicked Witch of the West's hat from The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppin's bottomless carpetbag — that have wound up people's garages and basements.”
What's Become of Veruca's Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory?
“Quoting a song called "Mississippi" in a concession speech from Wisconsin: Is Feingold hinting that he might carpetbag southward for an eventual comeback?”
The Washington Post: Election 2010: A walk on the mild side of victory (or defeat) parties
“Abraham Lincoln" stepped from the gray Toyota minivan outside the Baltimore train station Wednesday, grabbed his carpetbag and leather valise and put on his stovepipe hat.”
The Washington Post: Abraham Lincoln rides to Washington, 150 years later
“Taking the hatbox and carpetbag, she went back on the trail, a receding frail figure in a burgundy dress.”
“Albert carried Sue May's hatbox and carpetbag, and I struggled from the first with my Samsonite.”
“This talk of finding a place to carpetbag to is ridiculous.”
“And now i have a female candidate who doesn't beleive in killing babies and didn't carpetbag a Senate seat.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘carpetbag’.
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Carp
carp, carping, carpet, pilocarpine, parthenocarpy, carper, basidiocarp, acarpous, apocarpous, ascocarp, Brussels carpet, carpe diem and 104 more...
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Names Used to Describe Designer Bags
A list of words that describe specific types of fashion-centric bags.
clutch, tote, feedbag, carpetbag, hobo bag, crescent, bucket, minaudiere, muff handbag, evening bag, pouch, satchel and 5 more...
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Things from my memory
nigger baby, mexican jumping bean, puddle jumper, mood ring, pet rock, cat scratch fever, taxman, hippie, vaseline, argyrol, mercurchrome, methiolade and 655 more...
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Airborn
Words and phrases from Kenneth Oppel's book, Airborn.
running lights, starboard, bow, gondola, bullhorn, rudder man, gas cell, keel, catwalk, stern, cargo bay, machinist and 152 more...
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huck finnian
ain't, stretchers, without, sivilize, hogshead, victuals, bulrushers, tolerable, goggles, middling, reckoned, who-whooing and 287 more...
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What's next here?
thunderhead, thundercloud, cumulus, cumulonimbus, fibrous, hazy, glaciated, cirrus, nimbus, meteorology, fahrenheit, thermoscope and 285 more...
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C is for Caddyshack
My C Words
cavalcade, charlie browniest, cakewalk, clambake, caboose, cadaver, caddyshack, cadillac, cahoots, calaboose, cannonball, canopy and 145 more...
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with thanks to Anne Shirley
Words I learned for the first time by reading 'Anne of Green Gables.'
epoch, alabaster, muslin, sallow, organdy, gable, titian, mahogany, carpetbag, scope, cordial, ipecac and 5 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for carpetbag.
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