champagne socialist
- noun
- /ʃæmˈpeɪn ˈsoʊʃəlɪst/
- Offensive
:
socialista de salón [OFENSIVO]
- Many people criticize the 'champagne socialists' for preaching equality but enjoying expensive lifestyles.
They're middle class, most of them sort of champagne socialists and they think all Tories are evil.
- They're middle class, most of them sort of champagne socialists and they think all Tories are evil.
Examples
-
The term 'champagne socialist' describes someone who advocates for socialist policies while living a life of luxury.
-
They're middle class, most of them sort of champagne socialists and they think all Tories are evil.
-
Since it is obviously not the liberal literati or the champagne socialists, why are they able to direct the vast majority of the energy and wealth of the world, as well as determine the culture?
Blog text (34) -
She identified as a 'champagne socialist' because she supported workers' rights despite her affluent background.
Synonyms
2
9.4
A rich person who supports liberal ideas but is out of touch with ordinary people
How Hypocritical
- Offensive
- Offensive
2
9.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents give clear cues: 'champagne' evokes luxury/privilege and 'socialist' denotes left-wing politics, so a learner who knows both words can infer someone who is wealthy yet professes socialism. However, the phrase carries a specific pejorative nuance of hypocrisy and cultural/political judgment that is not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially compositional for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Champagne socialist may come from the image of someone drinking champagne at a fancy party while calling themselves a socialist. That's why it means someone who says they are 'for the poor' but lives in luxury.