Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Mid-century: TV and science ·1956
Brinkmanship
brink statesmanship
- Meaning
- The political tactic of pushing a crisis to the edge of disaster.
- Source words
- brink + statesmanship
- Coined by
- Adlai Stevenson
- Year
- 1956
Background
Stevenson coined the word in a speech attacking Eisenhower's secretary of state John Foster Dulles, who had praised walking to the brink of war. The Cold War gave the word permanent relevance.
Mid-century: TV and science
Two engines dominated: television (sitcom, televangelist) and post-war big science (pulsar, transistor). Many mid-century coinages came from scientific style sheets and industry journals.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.