heeler
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈhiːlər/
- Jargon
:
operador político
- This is one strange dude—part narcissist, part Chicago ward heeler, part neo-Alinskyite Marxist, part talk show host smoothie, part nowhere man.
- a ward heeler
- precinct heelers
Examples
-
During the campaign, the ward heeler ensured that every voter was contacted to secure their support.
-
My mother stood looking up proudly at Terrible Tom Malloy, saloon owner, ward heeler, legendary terror.
Fiction book (1994) -
Why are you acting like some dumb ward heeler?
-
That's the trouble with ward heelers like you.
-
The attitude of most GOP ward and precinct heelers in South Philadelphia was: "What the hell do we care who's President?"
Academic text (1996) -
Behind and all around, various ward heelers and small-time politicians, representing both the Know-Nothing candidate Barker and Tammany's Fernando Wood.
Fiction book (2002) -
But he wasn't barking out canvassing instructions to local ward heelers or scouting Holiday Inns to find the one with the best lines of sight to the podium.
Blog text (15) -
These kinds of linkages recall the earlier period in the 1950s and 1960s, when a candidate's cabo eleitoral (ward heeler) was often a political leader in the favela who could guarantee a certain number of votes through personal influence.
Academic text (1996) -
An act of hypocrisy, since every Red State indulges in the foul practice far more vigorously—from Texas to Georgia to Alaska—to a degree that would embarrass even a Chicago ward heeler!
Blog text (1) -
The political heeler was known for his ability to get things done behind the scenes.
Synonyms
5
9.9
A person who works for a political party or large organization and follows orders without question
2
8.5
A person hired to do unpleasant jobs like firing workers or ruining someone's reputation
1
9.9
A local person who gets votes for a political party by offering favors
Compounds
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Heeler in politics comes from the same image of someone at another person's heel ('very close behind') with the agent -er, meaning a follower who does the leader's unpleasant tasks. So a political heeler is a loyal helper who does the dirty work for a boss.