From the Katie Couric-Sarah Palin interview and "Saturday Night Live" political sketches to Sunday morning talk shows and the endless presidential debates, political discourse this election season has made memorable contributions to the American lexicon.Previous campaigns have given us phrases such as, "Read my lips: no new taxes," "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy," and "I did not inhale."With just a few days to go before Election Day, here's a tongue-in-cheek glossary of the buzzwords, jargon, phrases and quotations that have been tripping off our lips during this historic presidential campaign.- 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling: n. 1. cause of the 18 million headaches disappointed Sen. Hillary Clinton supporters suffered. 2. cold comfort.- Bitter, small-town Pennsylvanians: n. 1. those who, per Sen. Barack Obama, "cling to guns or religion ... as a way to explain their frustrations." 2. those who won't be voting for Mr. Obama. See Real America entry.- Caribou Barbie: n. 1. nickname for the huntress, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate. 2. Alaskan cousin to Malibu Barbie and Skipper. Rifle sold separately.- Change We Need: 1. current Obama campaign motto. 2. signs posted at parking garage pay booths and take-out pizza joints.- Country First: 1. current John McCain campaign motto. 2. the United States of America First. 3. Real America First.- Drill, Baby, Drill: 1. McCain-Palin campaign rally chant promoting offshore oil drilling. 2. a sweet nothing whispered on a cold, Alaskan night.- First Dude: n. 1. Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin.- Hockey Mom: n. 1. Sarah. Palin. 2. the mother of a child who plays hockey. See Real America.- Hottest governor from the coldest state: euphemism for Palin.- I can see Russia from my house!: a Tina Fey "SNL" Palinism referencing. Palin's foreign-affairs experience.- Joe Six-Pack: n. 1. a regular working Everyman who drinks beer.- Joe the Plumber: n. 1. a regular working Everyman who lays pipe, fixes sinks, tubs and toilets and owes back taxes. See related Phil the Bricklayer, Rose the Teacher, Tom the Carpenter, Tito the Builder, Steely the Mascot.- Lipstick: n. 1. the difference between a Hockey Mom and a pit bull.- Lipstick on a pig: an old euphemism for trying to dress up something bad or negative to make it seem good or positive. Also see sow's ear-silk purse entry.- Maverick: n. 1. one who takes an independent stand and how Palin describes herself and her running mate, John McCain. 2. unbranded, like the cattle owned by the real Maverick family of Texas.- Mavericky: adj. 1. another Tina Fey Palinism meaning in the manner of a maverick or maverick-like.- McPain: 1. anti-McCain moniker.- My Friends: 1. McCain's version of "My Fellow Americans." 2. McCain's shorthand for "You people who should be voting for me."- NObama: 1. an anti-Obama moniker. 2. variable pronunciation an anti-Crimson Tide moniker.- Not Black Enough: adj. Barack Obama. Also see, Too Black entry.- PUMA: n. 1.) acronym for Party Unity My Ass. 2.) synonym for Clintonites who were slow or unwilling to jump on the Obama bandwagon.- Racists: n. 1. Rep. John Murtha's Western Pennsylvanians. See rednecks.- Real America: 1. non-urban, small-town and rural America.- Robocalls: n. 1. recorded messages from one campaign attacking the opponent. 2. the political telemarketing equivalent of playing the dozens.- SNOBama: n. 1. anti-Obama nickname for the elitist, arugula-eating Democratic presidential nominee.- Spread the wealth around: 1. those who make more pay more; those who make less pay less. 2. to pull a Robin Hood, rob from the rich and give to the poor.- Straight-talk Express: n. 1. McCain's campaign bus to somewhere, which Obama says has lost a wheel or two.- That One: n. 1. McCain's pet name for Obama.- The economy's fundamentals are sound: 1. a McCain "senior moment."- The One: n. 1. What Oprah has anointed the junior senator from Illinois.- Too Black: adj. 1. Obama. See Not Black Enough entry.- Unrepentant terrorist: n. 1. former Weather Underground bomber and educator William Ayers. 2. Obama's BFF. 3. An acquaintance of Obama's in Chicago education circles. See Washed-up terrorist.- Yes We Can: adv. 1. Obama campaign slogan. 2. answer to the question: Can the United States, a nation that espouses liberty and justice for all, survive the reality of an African-American president?- You Betcha: adv. 1. Palinism for yes, indeed. 2. answer to the question: Can someone plucked from relative obscurity with more charisma than her running mate end up a heartbeat away from the presidency? E-mail L.A. Johnson at ljohnson(at)post-gazette.com (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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