Definition
Pinko is a slang term that is used to describe a person with left-wing views. It is a slightly obscure word that has been around since 1925, but it is still used today by many people to express their disdain for someone. The word pinko is also associated with anti-communist politicians like Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon who used it to attack their political opponents. The word is also a back-formation from pingottaa. It is a pejorative slang term that is used to describe someone with advanced liberal or moderately radical political or economic views. The word is also a reference to the color pink, which is a lighter, less bright red. This is probably a nod to the fact that pink is a color commonly associated with communism.
Origin
Pinkoa is a pejorative term that originated in the United States during the 1920s. It refers to someone who holds advanced liberal or moderately radical political views. It is a variant of the word red, which has long been associated with communists and extremists on the left. In the US, it is sometimes used in a comical way. It has also been a political tool used by anti-communist politicians, such as Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. It is a back-formation from pingottaa, which means “to stretch”.
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Meaning
Pinko is a slang word that refers to a person who has left-wing political views. It is a pejorative term that dates back to the 1920s, according to Merriam Webster. It originated as a variation of red, a color associated with communism. As pink is a lighter shade of red, it was a natural way to describe someone who did not have communist views but was still considered to be on the left. The term was often used by anti-communist politicians, such as Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon. It was also used in an ironic way, as a means to attack those who were not strong enough to defend the country from communism.
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Connotation
Pinko is a pejorative used to describe someone who has left-wing political views. The word has been around for a while, and is thought to have originated as a way to smear communists by suggesting that their ideas were more mainstream than they actually were. In more recent times, the term has been used in a less serious manner. It is often seen as a bit of a laugh or even a snarky comment. A good example of this is Richard Nixon’s pinko attack on Helen Gahagan Douglas, a liberal politician who he believed to have advanced her left-wing credentials.
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Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition, 2010. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.
