Something to bear in my nmind when you see McCain referred to as a “Maverick”:
Post Post post post post – Paul Krugman – Op-Ed Columnist – New York Times Blog
I went and actually looked up “maverick” today. It is fairly new, named after Samuel A. Maverick (died 1870) American pioneer who did not brand his calves. Date: 1867. “1: an unbranded range animal; especially : a motherless calf”. That was Merriam-Webster. Another online dictionary (WordNet) says “(an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it)”.
Funny how the original usage of the word implies not stubborn independence, but vulnerability to being branded and claimed by the first person to do so.
One Response
Whatever, colloquialy, we think a “maverick” is, it ain’t John McSame.