Government Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Citations in the Category Government

Washington D.C., United Nations, state and local governments, civil service, Federal government, bureaucracy, etc. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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self-licking ice cream cone n. By repeating Red Team victories from one Unified Command or agency to another without trying to fix the problem(s) creates a “self-licking ice cream cone” for the IO community, that is, an ensured mission and fund site for the foreseeable future. [English Government Slang] [full cite] (Nov. 16, 2006)

shadow report n. As part of that review, the official State report is presented along with what is called a “shadow report,” a rebuttal from non-government organizations (NGOs), advocacy groups, and citizen representatives. The US “shadow report” was prepared by The Coalition for Human Rights at Home, a coalition of 142 not-for-profit groups. [English Government Politics] [full cite] (Aug. 5, 2006)

silicon-sealed adj. Poland also wants to make sure that the charter of fundamental rights, which guarantees the right to strike among other measures, cannot apply in domestic courts. This is an opt-out already secured by the UK. Some in Brussels have questioned its legality but David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, termed it “silicon-sealed.” [English Government Politics New or Nonce] [full cite] (Jul. 24, 2007)

skintern n. Most of the new interns dressed appropriately, but one young woman wore flip-flops and a “skirt that was way too short.”…“One of the boys called them skinterns, which I thought was hilarious. Younger kids are showing their bellies. It’s not good for them in the long run. I’d prefer them to wear clothes.” [English Government Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 29, 2006)

sleepover n. Ohio’s elections chief is reconsidering a plan to prohibit poll workers from taking voting machines home for safekeeping in the days before the November presidential election. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced plans in February to scrap the practice known as “sleepovers” because of security concerns but is now facing opposition from county elections officials who say the custom makes it easier to transport machines to polling sites. [English Government Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 10, 2008)

stovepipe n. Mr. Rapport urged Secretary Rumsfeld to bypass traditional procurement bottlenecks and what the industry refers to as “stovepipes” to seek out and avail himself of the capabilities of small defense contractors. [English Business Government] [full cite] (Aug. 1, 2006)

Tomnibus n. A product of Democratic frustration with the tactics of Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and physician who has become the Dr. No of the Senate, the Tomnibus is a $10 billion collection of Coburn-blocked measures assembled by the Senate leadership in an effort to break his solitary grip on the legislative process. [English Government Law Politics New or Nonce] [full cite] (Jul. 29, 2008)

touchback n. On one side are those who believe that progressives should not support federal legislation that offers less than complete and unconditional amnesty for undocumented immigrants. This means no compromises around “guest worker” policies, no mandates that immigrants first return to their native countries before returning as legal US immigrants—a process known as “touchback”—, and no different rules for longtime vs. recently arrived immigrants. [English Government Politics Jargon] [full cite] (Apr. 30, 2007)

touchback n. WELNA: The main idea Republicans are considering is letting some of those here illegally stay, those who’ve been here more than five years, or those who overstayed visas. Florida Republican Mel Martinez said others in the country illegally should at least return to their countries of origin before applying for visas. It’s the so-called touchback provision.…Senator EDWARD KENNEDY (Democrat, Massachusetts): What’s right with taking people that are here for a period of time and then what, do they go across the border and have a bed check and then come back here? [English Government Politics] [full cite] (May. 29, 2007)

touchback n. In addition, undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States for two to five years, no matter where they live, would have to travel back to a port-of-entry on the U.S. border, such as El Paso, Texas, and go back across the border to apply for guest-worker status. Upon performing this so-called touchback, these several million immigrants could immediately return to their U.S. homes. [English Government Politics] [full cite] (May. 29, 2007)

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