Lexical Compendium

Wait... what is this? Sometimes I come across a word, phrase, idiom, quote, reference, bit of slang, person of interest, etc that either I don't know or I find amusing, interesting, etc. This is a collection of those items so that I can refer back to them in emails, texts, etc.

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Findlandization

Findlandization is the process by which a country maintains its formal independence while being heavily influenced or constrained by the policies of a more powerful neighboring state, especially in its foreign policy.

The name comes from Finland's relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, where Finland avoided antagonizing the USSR to preserve its sovereignty.

The term is used pejoratively.

I first heard this term in an interview President Biden gave to MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell in which Biden recalled a conversation with Putin in which Putin was predicting the Findlandization of Europe.


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Tags: vocabulary, politics

Date Added: 21 Jan 2025

IEEPA

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, pronounced "eye-EE-puh") is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1977 that grants the President broad authority to regulate commerce and impose economic sanctions during a declared national emergency related to external threats.

IEEPA was signed into law by President Carter as a response to the Iran Hostage Crisis.

The act is frequently used to enforce sanctions against foreign governments, organizations, and individuals involved in terrorism, cyber threats, or other destabilizing activities.

In January 2025, President Trump used these powers to enact tariffs on Canada and Mexico using the external threat of illegal immigration and drug trade (specifically fentanyl).

Update: on 02 April 2025, President Trump declared another national emergency in order to use his IEEPA powers. This time the emergency was posed by the large and persistent trade deficit that is driven by the absence of reciprocity in our trade relationships and other harmful policies like currency manipulation and exorbitant value-added taxes (VAT) perpetuated by other countries. This emergency was used to implement broad and sweeping tariffs against most contries. (See White House "fact sheet")

Update: on 28 May 2025 judges ruled that Trump's usage of IEEPA exceeds what the Constitution permits. Obviously this will be appealed.


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References:

Tags: politics, economy, government, acronym

Date Added: 03 Feb 2025
Date Modified: 30 May 2025

Leahy Law

From Wikipedia:

The Leahy Laws or Leahy amendments are U.S. human rights laws that ostensibly prohibit the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity.

In 2024, as the Israel–Hamas war wages on, the Leahy Law has been in the news a lot.


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References:

Tags: international, legal, leahy, eponymous

Date Added: 30 May 2024
Date Modified: 12 Feb 2025

infinocchiare

Infinocchiare is an Italian word which means to cheat or swindle someone.

The term has interesting origins. The root of the word comes from the term finocchio which means fennel in English. In the Middle Ages, fennel was used as a masking spice. Wine merchants would serve customers fennel before offering them wine, in order to hide defects. In the same way, butchers began to put it in their salami as an alternative to pepper in order to cover up the taste of not very good meat.

Though not for the same reasons, this tradition persists today. When we were in Tuscany, Italy, we discovered finocchiona salami and I became intrigued with this word.

In Italian, the phrase Non farti infinocchiare means Don't be fooled but it translates precisely in English to Don't get fenneled.


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References:

Tags: vocabulary, foreign language

Date Added: 22 Oct 2024

no tener pelos en la lengua

This Spanish idiom literally translates to "to not have hairs on the tongue." The idiom is used to refer to someone who is outspoken, i.e. does not mince words.

For example:

No me gustó su pintura y le dije; yo no tenia pelos en la lengua.: I didn't like his painting and I told him so; I didn't mince words.

Interestingly, this idiom also exists in other languages. It means roughly the same thing in Italian, Welsh, and Croatian

The concept also exists in Greek and Turkish where it means "I'm tired of repeating myself."

While walking down the street, I heard two people talking about this idiom and it compelled me to research it. Idioms are great, aren't they?


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References:

Tags: idiom, foreign, language, spanish

Date Added: 06 Jan 2025