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Glite Dictionary
Herman Cain Award

Herman Cain Award

9.9
A mock online award for people who say health risks are not serious and then become very ill
  • noun
  • /ˈhɜrmən keɪn əˈwɔrd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : Herman Cain Award
  • The post nominated him for the Herman Cain Award after he publicly mocked vaccination efforts and later fell ill.

Examples

  • Many online communities have started giving the Herman Cain Award to those who downplay serious health crises.

  • Several forum users debated whether her anti-mask rants warranted a Herman Cain Award mention.

  • He won a Herman Cain Award!

  • Many people received the Herman Cain Award for their reckless behavior.

  • Social media plays a significant role in awarding the Herman Cain Award to those who ignore health warnings and face dire consequences.

  • His dismissive comments about the virus led to a nomination for the Herman Cain Award when he was hospitalized for COVID-19.

  • After posting about how the pandemic was exaggerated, she unwittingly earned a Herman Cain Award for her serious illness.

Synonyms

Darwin Award
vsHerman Cain Award
  • Offensive
7.6

A joke award given after someone dies or is badly hurt by a very foolish action

is narrower and focuses on public dismissal of health risks leading to harm

Surface Forms

Herman Cain Award singular
Herman Cain Awards plural

Morphology

Herman + Cain + award

This is an opaque, culture-specific, satirical label built on a proper name plus 'award' whose ironic meaning (recognizing people who suffered consequences after downplaying health risks) depends on knowledge of the person/event and an internet meme. A B1 learner who knows the words 'Herman', 'Cain', and 'award' would not be able to derive this specialized, ironic sense from the constituents alone.

Etymology

Herman Cain Award is a satirical name that started online after businessman Herman Cain publicly downplayed COVID and later died after attending public events. People began using this 'award' as a dark, mock prize to point at someone who dismissed health risks and then got sick or worse. So the phrase now means an ironic recognition for people who suffer after publicly downplaying health dangers.