English Explanatory Dictionary

if-by-whiskey

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. That equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term.

Pronunciation

/ˌɪf baɪ ˈwɪski/ /ˌɪf baɪ ˈʍɪski/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-if-by-whiskey.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-if-by-whiskey.wav

Word forms

if-by-whiskey

Etymology

Refers to a 1952 speech by Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat Jr. during a debate on whether or not Mississippi should legalize alcoholic beverages. He prefaced his qualified agreement with each side in turn with the formula "if by whiskey you mean..." and a definition of "whiskey" crafted to support that side.

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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