Words from Political Scandals Flashcards
(6 cards)
Malfeasance
Malfeasance is wrongdoing, usually by a public official. Oftentimes, you hear the term corporate malfeasance—this type of wrongdoing occurs when somebody in the business world is up to no good. Typically, though, malfeasance is used in the context of politics.
mal + fees => bribe => misconduct by officials
Not even the mayor’s trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he’d been running an illegal gambling rink in the room behind his office.
Lascivious
Lascivious, like lecherous, prurient, and libidinous, all refer to perversion. In terms of linking these words to the world of politics…well, given the sordid events that surface every few months, I don’tthink I need to elaborate.
Driven by or expressing strong sexual desire, often in a way that is lewd, crude, or offensive.
LASCiViouS: Las Vegas: Lustful people go thr
Jerry’s coworkers were confused as to why Jerry thought that the word mango carried lascivious connotations; when he tried to explain, they only became more perplexed.
🔹 The manager was fired after multiple complaints about his lascivious remarks.
🔹 The novel was banned for its lascivious content and explicit scenes.
🔹 He gave her a lascivious grin that made her instantly uncomfortable.
Embroiled
To become caught up in a scandal is to become embroiled in it. In the last couple of months, a few well-known politicians (again, not naming any names) have become embroiled in scandals. From the verb embroiled, we get the noun imbroglio, which is an embarrassing, confusing situation.
These days we are never short of a D.C. imbroglio—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one scandal, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.
Venality
If you’ve ever heard of a government taking bribes, well, that is an example of venality. To be venal** is to be corrupt**. Of late, charges of venality tend to be few, though such charges simply don’t make the same headlines as scandals of the lecherous kind.
If our legal system becomes plagued with venality, then the very notion of justice is imperiled.
Prevaricate
If you’ve ever seen a politician caught in a lie (never!), and that person is trying to wiggle their way out of a pointed question, he (or she) is prevaricating. Not that a U.S. president would ever prevaricate by talking about the household pet when confronted with charges of venality (I’m alluding to Richard
Nixon and his dog Checkers).
Bobby learned not to prevaricate when his teacher asked him where his homework was; by giving a straightforward answer, he would avoid invoking the teacher’s wrath.
Turpitude
Sometimes lechery and its synonymous friends are just too soft when describing certain acts of malfeasance. At the far ends of the political spectrum, where outrage is felt most keenly, people feel the need to invoke far harsher vocabulary when condemning naughty behavior. One such word is turpitude, which gained prominence in the late 90’s (Google will fill in the blanks). A synonym for depravity, turpitude is only reserved for those acts deemed** to be downright wicked and immoral.**
During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.
