Freudian Lingerie?

From Language Log:

Rep. Steve King:

“As I deliberate and I listen to the gentleman from Tennessee, I have to make the point that when you challenge the mendacity of the leader or another member, there is an opportunity to rise to a point of order, there is an opportunity to make a motion to take the gentleman’s words down, however many of the members are off on other endeavors and I would make the point that- that the leader and the speaker have established their integrity and their mendacity for years in this Congress and I don’t believe it can be effectively challenged and those who do so actually cast aspersions on themselves for making wild accu- accusations.” [emphasis added]

And if you doubt that the “maroon” quoted above actually asserted–vigorously asserted, I say!–that his colleagues lack integrity, then listen as he speaks:

[audio:What-a-maroon.mp3]

Of course, this is simply a case of a puffed up politician using words he thinks sound high-falutin’… that he knows not the meaning of.

Common synonyms of “mendacity”: fabrication, falsehood, lie, untruth, whopper.*

But one hears (and sees in print) this sort of thing all the time: people who really are NOT literate–or at least not as literate as they think or want others to think them–speaking “above their own heads” as it were in an attempt to puff up the seeming importance of their utterances.

Just another politician *gag-spit* Nothing new. Move along, now.