Bidenism

English

Etymology

From Biden +‎ -ism. The "plagiarism" sense is a reference to the September 1987 plagiarism scandal that ended Biden's first presidential campaign.

Noun

Bidenism (countable and uncountable, plural Bidenisms)

1. (US politics) A quip, phrase or aphorism commonly said by Joe Biden (born 1942), American politician and the 46th president of the United States.
   • 2013, Michael Grunwald, The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 256:

     When talking about policies, he often said the president “gets it,” a condescending Bidenism for “agrees with me.”

   • 2019, Susan Rice, Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 409:

     Invoking one of the vice president's Bidenisms, "Don't die on a small cross," I proposed that we instead pursue a "Big Bang."

   • 2020, Jill Biden, Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 1991:

     BIDENISMS If you have to ask, it's too late. […]

2. (US politics, dated, colloquial) An instance of plagiarism, or the act of plagiarism.
   • Summer 1988, Cristine Russell, Newsletter of the National Association of Science Writers, p. 14:

     This is an election year, so forgive me if I steal a line from a more innocent time to ask also for help from the rest of you (not to be accused of a Bidenism, it's from JFK's inaugural address) […]

   • January 1989, Stanford Parris, Hearings before the Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, page 94:

     That was Mr. Seidman's line. I don't want to do a Bidenism here.

   • 1991, attorneys representing the City of Long Beach, California, brief submitted to the California Court of Appeal (2nd District), page 22:

     (We have not used quotation marks in this paragraph because that from which it is basically copied is in an unpublished decision of Division 7; we give credit only to avoid any claim of "Bidenism.")

See also

• Bushism