z Elbridge Gerry was a signer of the Declaration of Independence,
delegate to the Second Continental Congress, vice president of the
United States under James Madison, and governor of Massachusetts.
Despite this impressive resume, Gerry is most well-known for a
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controversial today.z In 1812, during his second term as governor of Massachusetts,
Gerry’s administration introduced a bill that would redraw
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Democratic-Republican Party. Although this certainly was not the
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advantage, this attempt was so blatant that it was noted by the
opposition Federalist Party during the campaign.z In fact, the redrawn map of Essex County, Gerry’s home territory,
was shown at a Federalist Party meeting. Noticing the odd shape
of the newly drawn district, one of the Federalists drew his own
version of the outline on the map: a serpent-like creature with
claws and wings. The Federalist proclaimed, “That will do for a
salamander,” and according to one account, another party member
quipped, “Gerrymander,” coining the word.z Notice that gerrymander is both an eponym and a portmanteau
word—a combination of two or more unrelated word parts. In this
case, gerrymander is a combination of Gerry, a person’s name,
and salamander.Quisling (noun)
A traitor who aids an invading and/or occupying enemy force, often
serving later in the puppet government.z %RUQ LQ 9LGNXQ 4XLVOLQJ ZDV D 1RUZHJLDQ DUP\ RI¿FHU
and politician. In 1933, he became the leader of Norway’s Fascist
Party, and in 1939, he met with Adolf Hitler, asking Hitler to invade