trapo n. a traditional politician believed to be corrupt. Etymological Note: < Tgl. ‘dirty rag, old rag’ < Span. ‘cleaning cloth.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Join the discussion
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Further reading
Is there such a thing as a “neutral” accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way southern Californians talk about freeways. They’ll say things like take the 405 and get on the 8. Why the definite article...
A magnificent new book celebrates the richness and diversity of 450 years of written and spoken English in what is now the United States. It’s called The People’s Tongue, and it’s a sumptuous collection of essays, letters, poems...
Additional etymological note:
Trapo is also a blend word or fusion, combining the first syllables of TRA-ditional PO-litician. In the beginning, Philippine journalists and “street parliamentarians” (that is, activists) used “tradpol” to refer to traditional politicians. At some point, someone must have noticed that “trapo” was a better combination because it’s also the Spanish-derived Tagalog word for rag.
Thanks! Very useful.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo = Trapo