swiftboat
A type of gunboat used by the United States military on inland waterwaysA type of gunboat used by the United States military on inland waterways.
Meaning
2 senses(US)A type of gunboat used by the United States military on inland waterways.
(attributive, figuratively, usually)A smear campaign based on specious claims.
Origin
Uncertain: Possibly, swift + boat, or possibly based on an acronym for Shallow Water InshoUncertain: Possibly, swift + boat, or possibly based on an acronym for Shallow Water Inshore Fast Tactical Craft. The use as a political term derives from a smear campaign against John Kerry when Texas tycoon Robert J. Perry hired several Navy swiftboat veterans to form the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which questioned the legitimacy of Kerry's status as a war hero.
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Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.