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Glite Dictionary
parish-pump

parish-pump

9.9
Pays attention to small local political issues instead of national concerns
  • adjective
  • /ˈpærɪʃ pʌmp/
  • Literature
translation icon : local
  • Critics accused the council of focusing too much on parish-pump politics at the expense of wider reforms.

Examples

  • His parish-pump mentality meant he rarely considered national interests when making decisions.

  • The election debate quickly descended into a parish-pump squabble about minor local issues.

  • His parish-pump approach to politics fails to address national concerns.

  • The council's parish-pump policies are not suitable for the larger community.

  • Critics accused the council of focusing too much on parish-pump politics, ignoring the need for broader reforms.

  • His parish-pump attitude prevented him from seeing the larger national interests at stake.

  • The election debate quickly devolved into a parish-pump argument over trivial local matters.

Synonyms

parochial
vsparish-pump
12 8.1

A narrow view that cares only about local matters

is used mainly for narrow local politics lacking national perspective

Antonyms

broad
469 3.7

General and not detailed, covering many things

How Parochial

parish-pump
  • Literature
9.9
local
∞ 1.0
regional
521 3.5
national
∞ 2.0

Surface Forms

parish-pump positive

Morphology

parish-pump = parish + pump (semi-transparent) = parish + pump

The components 'parish' and 'pump' are literal and recognizable, but the political idiomatic meaning ('local, narrow concerns') is metaphorical and not directly inferable by all learners.

Etymology

Parish-pump comes from the picture of villagers meeting at the village parish 'local church area' pump 'water source' to talk and share small local problems. So parish-pump now describes politics or thinking that only cares about minor local matters, not bigger national issues.