birther conspiracy
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈbɜrθər kənˈspɪrəsi/
- Literature
:
teoría de la conspiración del lugar de nacimiento
- The media covered the rise of the birther conspiracy and its impact on public opinion.
- birther conspiracy theory
Examples
-
Many people dismissed the birther conspiracy as unfounded and politically motivated.
-
She debunked the birther conspiracy by presenting official documentation.
-
The birther conspiracy surrounding President Obama gained significant media attention.
-
Many people believe in the birther conspiracies that question his citizenship.
-
The birther conspiracy suggested that the president was not born in the country he claimed.
-
Many believed the birther conspiracy undermined the legitimacy of the president's election.
-
The birther conspiracy raised questions about the authenticity of the public figure's birth certificate.
Synonyms
3
9.8
A belief that a public leader was not born in the country and so cannot hold public office
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'birther' (a person alleging someone wasn't born locally) and 'conspiracy' (a theory or plot), so its meaning — a conspiracy theory promoted by birthers about birthplace/eligibility — is directly derivable from the parts. Given knowledge of both constituent words, a B1 learner would readily infer this usage, so it is transparently compositional.
Etymology
Birther conspiracy comes from people who question a leader's birthplace. It links birther, a person who doubts where someone was 'born', and conspiracy, the idea of a secret plot hiding the truth, and it is used to claim a public figure was not born in the country and so might not be allowed to hold 'public office'.