Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A false or slanderous story used for political advantage.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A fictitious story published for political effect; a “campaign lie.”
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A defamatory forgery or falsehood published for purposes of political intrigue.
Etymologies
- After Baron von Roorback, imaginary author of Roorback's Tour Through the Western and Southern States, from which a passage was purportedly quoted in an attempt to disparage presidential candidate James K. Polk in 1844.
Examples
“Defined literally, a roorback is a “defamatory falsehood published for political effect,” but I wanted the grand old word to stand for all the defamations and falsehoods published and proffered in our irreverent media age.”
“Thornton has traced bolter to 1812, filibuster to 1863, roorback to 1844, and split-ticket to 1842.”
Chapter 3. The Period of Growth. 3. The Expanding Vocabulary
“Dorgan knows how to make the best use of such a roorback on the eve of an election and even if”
“McLoughlin knows how to make the best use of such a roorback on the eve of an election, and even if I not only deny but prove that they are a fake, I'm afraid the harm will be done.”
“Elizur Wright purchased a Whig paper, and seeing a statement in it concerning the Free-soil candidate which he believed from internal evidence to be untrue, he said quite loud: "Well! this is the finest roorback I have met with.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘roorback’.
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My Little Phonies
Names for the next generation of My Little Ponies. Inspired by Star's list.
juggernaught, flamboyant, cuddly maggot, astrobleme, agroof, windburn, poshlost, crucifer, feedbag, dunderwhelp, nebelwerfer, bliss ninny and 445 more...
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ro- ro- ro- your boat
For words beginning with ro-.
rorid, roral, roscid, roblet, rogalian, rogitate, roomthily, roadster, roband, robinet, roborant, roborate and 35 more...
mialuthien roorback – a defamatory falsehood published for political effect Jul 25, 2008