HOME / Obamamania: The English language, Barackafied.

BarocratesThe latest addition to Slate's dictionary of Obamaisms.

By Chris WilsonPosted Monday, June 23, 2008, at 8:06 AM ET

Today's Obamaism:

Barocrates (buh-ROK-ruh-teez) n. An obscure Greek philosopher who pioneered a method of teaching in which sensitive topics are first posed as questions and then evaded.

Example: While Obama is well-trained in the Barocratic method, many less-capable politicians have had mixed success with the technique.

Since Slate first launched its Encyclopedia Baracktannica in February, more than 800 readers have written in with their own Obamaisms, from "Barack Ness Monster" to "Post-Baracalyptic." The best of these entries, along with Slate's original Obama neologisms, are collected in a new book: Obamamania! The English Language, Barackafied, available June 24.

In conjunction with the publication of the book, we will be publishing a new Obamaism every morning and adding it to the Obamamania widget below, which you can add to your Facebook or MySpace profile or Web site.

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Chris Wilson is an associate editor at Slate in Washington, D.C. Follow him on Twitter.
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