address than would be Dog Field, Wis. The Malheur River is more inviting than it would be as the Bad Luck River. Boca Raton, however it got the name, is easier for the Florida Chamber of Commerce to promote than Mouse Mouth would be.
In some places, a foreign name has stuck unrecognized. Ozark is simply a phonetic spelling of Aux Arks—a clipped French expression meaning "at the place of the Arkansa tribe." And the Lemon Fair River was named by a Ver- monter trying to pronounce Les Monts Verts.
A handful of Dutch place names around Nieuw Am- sterdam, or New York, still glitter with originality: the Murderkill River, memorializing an Indian fight; Hell Gate, or Hellegat; and Spuyten Duyvil Creek, where a Hollander swore he would swim the dangerous crossing "in spite of the devil."
By way of contrast, consider the prosaic names inflicted in more "enlightened" times—from Ada, Okla., to Zook, Kan. Pennsylvania has enshrined the sooty god Industry in such towns as Trucksville and Factoryville. The demon Yaketty-Yak is evidently worshiped in both Telegraph and Telephone, Texas. And in 1950, Hot Springs, N.M., con- vulsed itself into Truth or Consequences.
The logical conclusion is that we might improve the whole map by wiping it clean and starting over. Perhaps hold contests for the best name to replace Ho-ho-kus, N.J., or Weed, Calif. And yet. . . and yet there are at least a couple of classic, high-sounding names worth preserving. In the course of my research for this article, I found there is a community named Gary in each of six states and a Jennings in eight.
IT PAYS T O ENRICH YOUR W O R D POWER ®
Word Power
Test No. 17
Political Vocabulary
BY PETER FUNK
Every occupation has its particular vocabulary, and politics is no exception. During elections, certain words crop up more fre- quently than at other times. If you were listening to a candidate and the following 20 words were used, how many of them would you know? Check the word or phrase you believe is nearest in
meaning to the key word. Answers are at the end of this test. 1. ethnic (eth' nik)—of or relating to A: principles. B: dis-
crimination. C: nationality or race. D: medicine.
2. faction (fak' shun)—pertaining to A: inflexibility. B: a majority. C: clique. D: influence.
3. anachronistic (& nak ro nis' tik)—A: specialized. B: po- litical. C. out-of-date. D: odd.
4. ideology (i de 51' o je)—A: creativeness. B: image worship. C: unquestioning trust. D: beliefs.
5. contender (kon tend' er)—one who A: accuses. B: de- mands. C: defies. D: competes.
6. incumbent (in kum' bent)—A. oppressor. B: negotiator. C: officeholder. D: critic
7. acclamation (ak la ina' shun)—A: agreement B: adapta- tion. C: gathering. D: wild applause.
8. fratricide (frat' ri sid)—A: meeting of like-minded persons. B: being on friendly terms. C: act o( killing a brother D: exaggerated patriotism.
9. Populist (pop' u list)—A: rural progressive. B: political ^iraddler. C: conformist. D. birth-control advocate. !0. mandate (man' dat)—A: deadline. B: authoritative order.
C: clearly defined position. D: strong inclination. ' 1. consensus (ken sen sus)—A: general agreement. B: sum-
mary C: official count. D. recommendation.
178 WOJ*D P O W E R
12. disavow (dis S vow')—A: to repudiate. B: lie. C: condemn. D: insist.
13. gerrymander (jer' e man der)—A: to alter unfairly. B: invalidate. C: make excuses. D: be fickle.
14. demagogue (dem' 2 gog)—A: sovereign. B: one advocating violence. C: dictator. D: political agitator.
15. telegenic (tel i jen' ik)—A: scientifically inclined. B: at- . tractive on television. C: farsighted. D: disinterested. 16. bloc—A: group. B: obstacle. C: diagram. D: formation. 17. polarization (pd lar T za' shun)—A: neutralizing force. B:
related to the arctic. C: a gathering around opposing ex- tremes. D: fluctuation.
18. junket (jun' kit)—A: illegal practice. B: travel. C: short speech. D: ineffective legislation.
19. pork barrel—A: emergency policy. B: free gifts. C: bribes and graft. D: funds for local improvements.
20. radical (rid' I k'l)—one who is A: extreme. B: unreason- able. C: an anarchist. D: dangerous.
ANSWERS
1. ethnic—C: Relating to nationality or race, or to character- istics of people possessing a common heritage; as,.Irish, Negro, Polish and other ethnic groups. Greek ethnos (race, tribe).
2. faction—C: A clique working for its own ends; as. a new sense of cooperation between party factions. Latin factio (a making or doing).
3. anachronistic—C: Out-of-date; belonging to a former age and now inappropriate. Greek anachroniiein (to refer to a wrong time).
4. ideology—D: Beliefs and ideas that form the basis of a political, economic or social system; as; "He appears ide- ologiccily elusive." French ideologic.
Word Power Test No. I I 179
5. contender—D: One who competes for position; as, "This man is the best-qualified contender." Latin contendere (to strain, exert).
6. incumbent—C: Currently in office; as, the incumbent Pres- ident. Latin incumbere (to lie or lean upon).
7. acclamation—D: Wild applause; as, "The Presidential can- didate was nominated by acclamation." Latin acclamare (to cry out).
8. fratricide—C: Killing a brother, relative, countryman; as, "The party engaged in fratricide over the choice of a nom- inee." Latin fratricida, from frater (brother) and caedere (to kill).
9. Populist—A: A rural progressive desiring greater govern- ment action. From a small farmers' movement in 1892. Latin populus (of the people).
10. mandate—B: Authoritative order; expressed will of voters. When we give someone a mandate to clean up corruption, we symbolically place the problem in his hands. Latin man-
dare (to commit to one's charge).
il consensus—A; General agreement; as, the consensus of party professionals. Unchanged from the Latin.
12. disavow—A: To repudiate; refuse to claim responsibility for; as. "He disavowed his plan to cut federal spending." • Old French desavotter.
13. gerrymander—A: To alter a voting district unfairly. From Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, whose party in 1812 changed a district's lines in Essex County. (Its changed shape resembled a salamander:.)
14. demagogue—D: Political agitator; one who plays on emo- tions and prejudices to gain power. Greek demagogos (leader of the people).
15. telegenic—B; Attractive on television; as, "It helps can- didates to be telegenic." A new word from Greek tele (far off) and genie (producing, bom).
16. bloc—A: Group; combination of persons, parties or nations united for a common purpose; as, mobilizing the communist
bloc. French bloc (block, lump, the whole lot).
17. polarization—C: A gathering of people around opposing viewpoints; as, the polarization of the community over bus- ing. From positive and negative charges around opposite
poles in an electric field.
18. junket—B: Travel; disparaging term referring to a govern- ment official's trip at public expense. Italian giuncata (a cream cheese).
180 W O J * D P O W E R
19. pork barrel—D: Government funds used to ingratiate Con- gressmen with their constituents; as, "The Rivers-and-Har- bors Bill is a pork barrel that has developed hundreds of projects." A colloquial farm term.
20. radical—A; One who holds extreme views and advocates far-reaching reforms. Latin radicalis (deeply rooted).
v o c a b u l a r y r a t i n g s
20—18 correct exceptional 17—15 correct ..excellent 14—12 correct good