dog whistle


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dog whistle

n.
1. A whistle used for training or commanding dogs, especially one that emits sound of a frequency too high for most humans to hear.
2. The use of terms that seem innocuous but are intended to convey a hidden and potentially controversial message to a particular audience.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
Unfortunately, the signs are not good - our new Prime Minister has signalled, in a dog whistle to his buddy across the ocean, that he won't support future measures such as sugar and fat tax.
The dog whistle is far more dangerous, and much more subtle, than the milkshake - the weapon of choice for street protestors out to annoy Farage and ruin a few of his expensive suits.
In the guise of a stress on national security and the protection of its inviolable borders from marauding terror hordes from Pakistan and Bangladesh, protecting its ancient cultural heritage and moral values, or an assertion that the population mass that gives the country its name and characteristic identity, the campaign's dog whistle has polarized the country as it has not been since the summer of 1947.
The key feature in dog whistle politics is plausible deniability.
Speaking to ANI, RJD leader Manoj Jha accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the organisations like the VHP of doing "dog whistle politics" in the name of Lord Ram.
But her barnstorming speech showed positivity was the only way to fight Donald Trump's race to the bottom, groping every female and blowing every dog whistle he could find on his way.
Using a dog whistle can be an advantage because it isn't "moody" and sounds the same every single time it is used.
I don't think they're even good for procreation any more." No dog whistle there.
Kids can find out if their dog hears things they can't by making a dog whistle. "Dog Science
Herein lies the dog whistle. Nicholls' warning that employers may lose control "of their ability to pay according to what they think is right" (1) is effectively a coded message, warning that unless the business sector takes action quickly, it might have to listen more attentively to the legitimate concerns of staff.
BORIS Johnson has been accused of "dog whistle" racism by the leader of the TUC.