Paul Dickson’s latest book, “Words From the White House,” examines words, terms and expressions coined by U.S. presidents. A sampling:
hatchet man – George Washington
keep the ball rolling – William Henry Harrison
normalcy, founding fathers – Warren Harding
iffy – Franklin Delano Roosevelt
military industrial complex – Dwight Eisenhower
misunderestimate – George W. Bush
Thomas Jefferson was the most prolific, adding 114 words to the lexicon (all of which are still in the Oxford English Dictionary). Jefferson even invented a verb to describe the act of inventing a word: neologize.
But for my money, Teddy Roosevelt was the best wordster-in-chief: he’s crediting with the following: “loose cannon,” “frazzle,” “pack rat,” “lunatic fringe,” “pussyfooter” and “muckraker.”
Never ‘Misunderestimate’ Word Power of the Presidency – PBS NewsHour