Political Issues: English Vocabulary List

a thing that is offered in the hope of restoring peace or friendly relations

"He extended an olive branch to his rival."

"He extended an olive branch to his rival and offered to end the long standing feud between them."

to begin to aim for peace instead of war

"They turned swords into plowshares after the war."

"After the war the country turned swords into plowshares and focused on farming instead of fighting."

a long argument between people

"The debate became a war of words."

"The war of words between the two celebrities continued on social media for several weeks without stopping."

the dividing line between opposing sides in a conflict or confrontation

"The battle line was clear."

"The two political parties drew a clear battle line on the issue of taxation."

used of a statement, remark, or piece of information that is not intended for public knowledge, or not to be attributed to the person making it

"He told me off the record."

"The politician made the comments off the record so the newspaper could not publish them."

a country with a weak economy that heavily relies on the export of a limited product, such as bananas, and may be influenced by foreign powers or investments

"The country was a corrupt banana republic."

"The country was a corrupt banana republic and the president was a puppet of foreign corporations."

a young member of a political party, organization, etc., who seeks to make changes in a previous establishment or system

"The young turk challenged the old rules."

"The young turk challenged the old rules and the senior members of the party were threatened by his ideas."

a politician or public office holder who is approaching the end of their term and will soon be replaced, usually due to failure to be re-elected or re-appointed

"He is a lame duck."

"The outgoing president, now a lame duck, found his influence significantly diminished as his term neared its end."