the.com/spokesman
A human shield made of carefully chosen words, paid to say almost nothing beautifully.
means A man appointed to speak on behalf of a person, group, or organization, especially to the public or press.
from A compound of 'spokes' and 'man.' The first part is the odd bit: it's the old past participle of 'speak' — once 'spoke,' as in 'I have spoke' — with an inserted 's,' giving us the form 'spokesman,' meaning roughly 'one who has spoken (for others).' The word emerges in English around the 16th–17th centuries, and the gender-neutral 'spokesperson' is a much later, 20th-century arrival.
- job summary
- Speaks so the boss can't be quoted
- native tongue
- The passive voice was deployed extensively
- survival skill
- Declining to comment, eloquently, for hours
- hidden power
- One adjective can move stock prices
jen psaki — white house press secretary 2021-2024, held 312 press briefings
sean spicer — trump white house press secretary 2017, famous for inaugural crowd size claims
tony snow — white house press secretary 2006-2007, later fox news host