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Glite Dictionary
Foggy Bottom

Foggy Bottom

8.2
A nickname for the United States government office that deals with other countries
  • proper noun
  • /ˈfɔɡi ˈbɑtəm/
  • Literature
translation icon : Foggy Bottom
  • Congress questioned Foggy Bottom officials about the new diplomatic strategy.
  • Foggy Bottom district
  • Washington's Foggy Bottom
  • Foggy Bottom site

Examples

  • The new policy was announced in Foggy Bottom yesterday.

  • Many policy decisions are made quietly in Foggy Bottom before reaching the public.

  • The ambassador's appointment was announced by Foggy Bottom late last night.

  • Many decisions regarding foreign policy are made in Foggy Bottom.

  • The United States Department of State is often referred to as Foggy Bottom due to its location in that area of Washington, D.C.

  • Many important diplomatic meetings take place at Foggy Bottom, which is the nickname for the State Department.

  • Students studying foreign policy frequently visit Foggy Bottom to understand the workings of the U.S. government.

Synonyms

Department of State
vsFoggy Bottom
  • Formal
14 3.4

A United States government department that handles relations with other countries

is an informal, place-derived nickname rather than the formal department title
United States Department of State
vsFoggy Bottom
  • Formal
1 4.3

A US government department that handles relations with other countries

is an informal, place-based nickname rather than the official agency name

Surface Forms

Foggy Bottom main

Morphology

Foggy + Bottom

This is a toponym and metonym ('Foggy Bottom' names a neighborhood and by extension the US Department of State) whose institutional meaning cannot be inferred from the literal words 'foggy' and 'bottom'. Understanding it requires specific cultural or encyclopedic knowledge rather than compositional knowledge of the constituents, so it would not be predictable for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Foggy Bottom comes from an old Washington neighborhood by the river that was often foggy and low at the bottom of the land. Because the 'State Department' sits there, people began to use Foggy Bottom to mean the 'State Department' and its officials.