The political lexicon

Every decade spawns a unique collection of new political terms. Here are some that dominated the aughts:

9/11: (n.) Recognized as an abbreviation the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that felled the United States’ World Trade Center and killed 3,000 people. Also see: (n.) 7/7; (n.) suicide bomber

Swiftboat: (v.) To perpetrate an untrue or misrepresentative attack on someone’s character, usually a politician’s. Etymology: Originally used to refer to an attack by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth on presidential candidate John Kerry’s service in the Vietnam War. Also see: (n.) U.S. Navy swift boat; (n.) character assassination; (n.) 527 group

WMD: (n.) Weapon of mass destruction, or a weapon that can kill large numbers of people and cause great damage to a region’s infrastructure and environment. Although the term can refer to many types of devices, since the Cold War era it has been mostly synonymous with nuclear weapons. Etymology: The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush used this term in making a case for the Iraq War. Also see: (n.) biological weapon; (n.) chemical weapon

Sustainable: (adj.) Usually referring to ecology. When resources are used in such a way as to not deplete or damage them. Has gained increasing importance with the rise of the green politics and the increasing threat of global warming. Also see: (n.) sustainability; (adv.) sustainably; (n.) climate change

Chad: (n.) The tiny pieces of paper left over from hole punches. Etymology: Hanging chads, or chads that are not properly separated from their parent piece of paper, created controversy in Florida during the 2000 U.S. presidential election. It was debated as to whether or not the paper ballots with hanging chads should be counted as votes. Also see: (n.) electronic voting; (n.) punch card voting

Bailout: (v.) To give money to a company or other entity in danger of bankruptcy or other insolvency. Etymology: Corporate bank bailouts played an important part in the worldwide recession that started in late 2007. Loans given to General Motors Corporation and Chrysler LLC during the same time period are also generally referred to as bailouts. Also see: (n.) bailout; (n.) sub-prime loan; (n.) predatory lending; (n.) stimulus package

Stimulus package: (n.) Sometimes referred to as an economic stimulus package, it provides a quick, government injection of cash into the U.S. economy. Usually used during times of economic recession or depression. Etymology: Current use of the word refers to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. Also see: (n.) (v.) bailout

Surge: (n.) A sudden, excessive rise in power or value.  Etymology: Used in reference to the Iraq War troop surge of 2007. Was also used less commonly to describe the Afghan War troop surge of 2009. Also see: (v.) surge

IED: (n.) Improvised explosive device, or a homemade bomb usually used in unconventional warfare or terrorist activities. Can also be biological, chemical or nuclear in nature. Etymology: IEDs are commonly used by guerilla insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Climate change: (n.) Euphemism for global warming, the gradual increase in the Earth’s average temperature caused by use of fossil fuels, which emit carbon dioxide. See also: (n.) greenhouse gas; (adj.) sustainable

Birther: (n.) Member of a broad category of conspiracy theorists who believe U.S. President Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen as required under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Also see: (n.) truther; (n.) Kenya; (n.) Hawaii

Hike the Appalachian Trail: (v.) To lie in order to cover up an extramarital or otherwise elicit sexual affair. Usually refers to a politician lying to his or her staff or constituency. Etymology: First used by South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford as an excuse for being out of communication with his staff for six days, during which he was visiting his Argentinian mistress.

Wide stance: (n.) An excuse given by someone who solicits anonymous gay sex from the person in an adjoining bathroom stall by moving a foot beneath the partition. Etymology: First used by former Idaho Senator Larry Craig in response to a charge of committing lewd conduct in a rest room at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. See also: (v.) cottaging; (n.) glory hole

Tea bag: (v.) To protest government taxes by dumping tea bags into bodies of water. Etymology: A reaction against U.S. President Barack Obama’s fiscal policies, including the increasing of the federal budget and national debt. See also: (n.) teabagger; (n.) Boston Tea Party, 1773

Misunderestimate: (v.) To simultaneously misunderstand and underestimate a person’s abilities, e.g.: “They misunderestimated me.” Etymology: One of many non-words uttered by former U.S. President George W. Bush, who was notorious for making up or mispronouncing words and phrases. See also: (n.) decider; (n. pl.) childrens