51³Ô¹Ï

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dog whistle

[ dawg-hwis-uhl, -wis-, dog- ]

noun

  1. an ultrasonic whistle, audible to dogs and some other animals but out of the range easily perceptible to the human ear, used by handlers of working dogs and by dog trainers.
  2. Chiefly Politics. a choice of words, coded communication, or other symbolic aspect of self-presentation that is superficially unobjectionable or neutral but conveys a secondary message aimed at those who affiliate with a controversial group or fringe ideology, usually signaling one’s own affinity for such beliefs: The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

    The candidate used “welfare reform†as a dog whistle appealing to racist voters.

    The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.



dog-whistle

adjective

  1. relating to the targeting of potentially controversial messages to specific voters while avoiding offending those voters with whom the message will not be popular

    dog-whistle politics

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to employ this kind of political strategy
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51³Ô¹Ï Forms

  • »å´Ç²µ-·É³ó¾±²õ·³Ù±ô±ð adjective
  • dog whis·tling noun
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51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle1

First recorded in 1800–05
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51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle1

C21: from the fact that a dog whistle operates at frequencies that can be heard only by dogs

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