POLITICS- VOCABULARY

Vocabulary and collocations from ‘The Election That Could Break America’

A cohort- (poplecznik)- someone who supports someone else, especially a political leader
hove into view (heave, heaved, hove)

lurching- moving suddenly in a way that is not controlled

incumbent- (osoba sprawująca urząd)- someone who has an official job, especially a political one

fraught- (pełny niebezpieczeństw,przeszkód/ napięty, spięty)- full of danger/difficulties, etc/ causing

worry, or feeling worried

catastrophized politics- to imagine the worst possible outcome of an action or event : to think about a
situation or event as being a catastrophe or having a potentially catastrophic outcome

calamity- (klęska, katastrofa)- a sudden, bad event that causes a lot of damage or unhappiness

unambiguous- expressed in a way that makes it completely clear what is meant

circumvent- to avoid something, especially cleverly or illegally:

precipice- /ˈpres.ə.pɪs/- a dangerous situation that could lead to harm or failure

rigged- arranged dishonestly for the result of sth, for example election to be changed

pettifoggery- giving too much attention to small unimportant details in a way that shows a limited
mind. Pettifogging rules or details are too small and not important enough to give attention to.

Prodigiously- /prəˈdɪdʒ.əs.li/- in a way that is extremely great in ability, amount, or strength:

He was a prodigiously gifted artist.

ward off- to prevent someone or something unpleasant from harming or coming close to you:
In the winter I take vitamin C to ward off colds.

Brazenly- in an obvious way, with no effort to hide something:

The robber brazenly carried the stolen painting to the getaway car.
performative speech

razed- completely destroyed a city, building, etc.:

The town was razed to the ground in the bombing raid - not a building was left standing.
Misconstrued

Gubernatorial- relating to a governor (= the official leader of a state in the US)

Deem- to consider or judge something in a particular way:

[ + obj + noun/adj ] The area has now been deemed safe.
[ + noun/adj ] We will provide help whenever you deem it appropriate.
[ + obj + to infinitive ] Anyone not paying the registration fee by 31 March will be deemed to have
withdrawn from the offer.

Debunked- showed as not true

Every week some long-held medical theory is debunked.

Besieged- When someone is besieged, a lot of people surround them:

When the pop star tried to leave her hotel, she was besieged by waiting journalists and fans.
to make many requests or complaints about something:
After showing the controversial documentary, the channel was besieged with phone calls from angry
viewers.

Hobble- to walk in an awkward way, usually because the feet or legs are injured:
The last time I saw Rachel she was hobbling around with a stick.

bracing (for)- prepare yourself physically or mentally for something unpleasant:

The weather forecasters told us to brace ourselves for a heavy storm.
Skirmishing

seize upon (on)- to use, accept, or take advantage of something quickly or enthusiastically:
The story was seized on by the tabloid press, who printed it under huge headlines.

Primaries- more important than anything else; main:

Happenstances- chance or a chance situation, especially one producing a good result:

By (a strange) happenstance they were both in Paris at the same time.

Ersatz- used instead of something else, usually because the other thing is too expensive or rare:
I'm allowed to eat ersatz chocolate made from carob beans, but it's a poor substitute for the real thing.

Adjudicators- /əˈdʒuː.də.keɪ.t̬ɚ/ a person or group that makes an official decision about something,
especially about who is right in a disagreement:
She acted as adjudicator in the dispute.

spoiling to

heedless of- not giving attention to a risk or possible difficulty:

Heedless destruction of the rainforests is contributing to global warming.

Putative- generally thought to be or to exist, even if this may not really be true:
The putative leader of the terrorist cell was arrested yesterday.

Intercede- to use your influence to persuade someone in authority to forgive another person, or save
this person from punishment:
Several religious leaders have interceded with the authorities on behalf of the condemned prisoner.

Squelch- to quickly end something that is causing you problems:

A spokeswoman at the White House has squelched rumors about the president's ill health.
to silence someone by criticizing them:
The senator thoroughly squelched the journalist who tried to interrupt him during his speech.

Salient- most noticeable or important:

The salient fact about the case is that it involves an American.

ceded to- to allow someone else to have or own something, especially unwillingly or because you are
forced to do so:
Hong Kong was ceded to Britain after the Opium War.

Coup- an unexpectedly successful achievement:

It was a tremendous coup for the local paper to get an exclusive interview with Prince Charles.

Mooted- sth suggested for discussion

The idea was first mooted as long ago as the 1840s.

Garbled- If words or messages are garbled, they are not clear and are very difficult to understand, often
giving a false idea of the facts:
There was a strange garbled message on my voicemail.

Impasse- a situation in which progress is impossible, especially because the people involved cannot
agree:
The dispute had reached an impasse, as neither side would compromise.

Begat

stave off- to stop something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted situation or person away,
usually temporarily:
We were hoping to stave off these difficult decisions until September.

Murky- dark and dirty or difficult to see through:

The river was brown and murky after the storm.
used to describe a situation that is complicated and unpleasant, and about which many facts are not
clear:
He became involved in the murky world of international drug-dealing.

Spurious- false and not what it appears to be, or (of reasons and judgments) based on something that
has not been correctly understood and therefore false:
Some of the arguments in favour of shutting the factory are questionable and others downright
spurious.

Acquiesce- /ˌæk.wiˈes/- to accept or agree to something, often unwillingly:

Reluctantly, he acquiesced to/in the plans.

Repugnant- If behaviour or beliefs, etc. are repugnant, they are very unpleasant, causing a feeling of
disgust:
I find your attitude towards these women quite repugnant.

Stalemate- a situation in which neither group involved in an argument can win or get an advantage and
no action can be taken:
Tomorrow's meeting between the two leaders is expected to break a diplomatic stalemate that has
lasted for ten years.

Collocations:
failed to clear that bar-failed to go beyond that level or to do more than enough to comply with
the condition
conditions are ripe for- developed to a suitable condition for something to happen:
a mandate to govern- the support or commission given to a government and its policies or an elected
representative and his policies through an electoral victory  
something has to give- something that supports something breakes
a commanding lead- difficult to overcome
bearing down on- move directly towards someone or something in a purposeful or intimidating
manner.

sheds all restraint- to get rid of limitations

laying the groundwork for- To create or prepare the basics or essential foundation
battleground states- swing state (both parties can win)
take for granted- assume that something is true without questioning it.
come what may- no matter what happens
exert the strongest influence on- to use it in a strong and determined way to change something
render him all but incapable of-
sue for peace- pleading or petitioning for peace
its ramparts may be breached
held (the) high ground,- to have the position of power
flouted the law- deliberately do not obey it or follow it.
dancing around this point- to avoid discussing something or dealing with it directly.
well-founded fears- This implies that it is not only the frame of mind of the person concerned that
determines his refugee status, but that this frame of mind must be supported by an objective situation.
credible allegations-
mounted a ferocious assault
on a scale unlike any before-
declaiming against
existential dangers
under fire from critics
What are we to make of all this?
voter turnout- the results of voting
a partisan skew
if trends hold true
swing states- swing states
seemed to have victory in her grasp- seemed that she will win for sure 😉
his lead will slowly give way to
say only half in jest
did dry runs for- an occasion when you practise a particular activity or performance:
objections that his party could have raised- something against that a certain party brought up
My money would be on
purportedly suspicious goings-on
expect to be named and doxed and pilloried as agents of George Soros or antifa
adorned in Second Amendment accessories
none of these scenarios is far removed from things the president has already done
on the slender pretext of
hammer home the message
Trump has been flogging this horse already (flogging a dead horse)
bellyache all he likes
to liken a vote count to the score at a sporting event
a play for time- to try make something happen later than sooner ; )
courts may eventually weigh in
whatever license may be found for it in law
resorting to such a ploy- resorting to such a tactic – changing->using the tactic
exact a high price- has a very bad effect on a person or on a situation
framed in terms of- to put a blame on someone that didn’t do that
pick your poison- making a choice between two unpleasant things
upholding the rule of law- sticking to the rule of law
giving the Democrats a free pass
intended to muddy the waters- make an issue or situation more confused or complicated.
we don’t want to go down that road- to settle a way of doing something
shy away from- try to avoid something
push (the) boundaries- push the limits
gain some insight- gain an accurate/ more understanding of a topic/situation
things were clearly off the rails- in an abnormal or malfunctioning condition
to take for granted- było już
an orderly transfer of power- process of giving power from one person/group to other person/group
doing away with- remove or put something to an end
brought the country to the brink of- to bring something to and extreme edge on verge

Vocabulary from “Trump’s top lawyer in ‘crusade’ against women’s and LGBT rights across Europe”

Slut shaming- talking about a woman's sexual behaviour in order to embarrass her and make- people
disapprove of her:
Her political career was brought to an end by gutter journalism that slut-shamed her.

terminate the pregnancy- to end a pregnancy intentionally, usually by a medical operation

lobbying- the activity of trying to persuade someone in authority, usually an elected member of a
government, to support laws or rules that give your organization or industry an advantage:
In her speech she stressed that she is not involved in the firm's lobbying of Congress.

dark money- money from people or organizations whose names are not known or revealed, that may be
connected to illegal or harmful activities:
We must not risk dark money from overseas subverting our electoral system.

wolf in sheep’s clothing- a person with a pleasant and friendly appearance that hides the fact that they
are evil

landmark ruling- A Landmark decision, or Landmark court decision, establishes new precedents that
establish a significant new legal principle or concept. Or it changes the interpretation of existing law.

comes into the crosshairs- In a position in which other people are eager to criticize or attack.
ringing the alarm bells- To cause concern due to being an indication that there is something wrong.

falling on deaf ears- Be ignored or disregarded

thwart- /θwɔːrt/ -to stop something from happening or someone from doing something:
Our holiday plans were thwarted by the airline pilots' strike

Dither- to be unable to make a decision about doing something:

Stop dithering and choose which one you want!