Mother Jones
4
8.8
- proper noun
- /ˈmʌðər dʒoʊnz/
- You can read more about this from Andy Kroll's excellent work for Mother Jones (start here).
- editor of Mother Jones
- Mother Jones magazine
- Mother Jones Podcast
Examples
-
I read that Mother Jones wrote an article about big donors to Rove's Crossroads demanding answers about $$$.
Blog text (21) -
Mother Jones story from Barbara T. Dreyfuss described the genesis of the Bush Administration push.
Blog text (21) -
According to Mother Jones, there is more to come.
Blog text (15) -
In another video on Mother Jones.
Blog text (21) -
However, the basic concepts were in an article in Mother Jones in 2006, called "The Predator State."
Blog text (17) -
Josh Harkinson is a staff reporter at Mother Jones.
Blog text (8) -
Indeed, how many Americans have even heard of Eugene Debs or Mother Jones?
Academic text (2002) -
Mother Jones has an article up stating quite bluntly that we are facing a war on Thanksgiving.
Blog text (21) -
Erika Eichelberger is an editorial fellow at Mother Jones.
Blog text (8) -
In her activism, Mother Jones played a crucial role in organizing coal miners during strikes in the early 20th century.
Synonyms
1
8.1
An Irish-born American labor leader who led strikes for workers' rights
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person and labor leader; the biographical and ideological information (Irish‑born activist, co‑founder of the IWW) cannot be inferred from the literal words 'Mother' and 'Jones'. A B1 learner who knows the constituents would not be able to derive that this is an honorific nickname for a prominent activist, so the expression is unpredictable and culturally specific.
Etymology
Mother Jones was a 'nickname' given to Mary Harris, an Irish-born organizer who looked after workers and their children like a mother. That's why Mother Jones came to mean a fierce, caring leader and a symbol of the workers' movement.