1. Sloganeer
• Employ or invent slogans, typically in a political context.
Usage: At least he avoided vapid sloganeering.
2. Chilling effect
• In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal sanction.
• The right that is most often described as being suppressed by a chilling effect is the US constitutional right to free speech.
Usage: Just the existence of onerous copyright law has a chilling effect on creators.
3. Farcical
• Relating to or resembling farce, especially because of absurd or ridiculous aspects.
Usage: He considered the whole idea farcical.
4. Dog-whistle politics
• Dog-whistle politics is political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different, or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup. The analogy is to a dog whistle, whose ultrasonic tone is heard by dogs but inaudible to humans.
Usage: The media plays an important part in channelling and amplifying dog-whistle politics.
5. Single out
• To choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, especially criticism or praise.
Usage: It’s not fair the way my sister is always singled out for special treatment.
6. Palpably
• Noticeably or clearly.
Usage: Inside the office, the tension was palpably high.
• In a way that is able to be touched or felt.
Usage: The lymph nodes were palpably enlarged.
7. Gesticulate
• Use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words.
Usage: They were shouting and gesticulating frantically at drivers who did not slow down.
8. Vexatious
• Causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry.
Usage: So burdensome was the duty and so vexatious were the restrictions that it is a matter for wonder that the industry survived.
• In Law, It denotes an action or the bringer of an action that is brought without sufficient grounds for winning, purely to cause annoyance to the defendant.
9. Vexatious litigation
• Vexatious litigation is legal action which is brought solely to harass or subdue an adversary. It may take the form of a primary frivolous lawsuit or may be the repetitive, burdensome, and unwarranted filing of meritless motions in a matter which is otherwise a meritorious cause of action.
Usage: Our courts are free from the vexatious litigation that fosters criticism and they are trusted as never before in history.
10. Frivolous
• Not having any serious purpose or value.
Usage: It is understandable that one would want to protect the president from frivolous lawsuits while he or she is in office.
• Of a person carefree and superficial.
Usage: The frivolous, fun-loving flappers of the twenties.
11. Frivolous or vexatious (In law)
• In law, frivolous or vexatious, is a term used to deny a complaint or a legal proceeding being heard, or to dismiss or strike out any ensuing judicial or non-judicial processes.
• ‘Frivolous‘and‘vexatious’ generally mean different things, however both are typically grouped together as they relate to the same basic concept of a complaint or claim not being brought in good faith.
• A frivolous claim or complaint is one that has no serious purpose or value. The implication is that the claim has not been brought in good faith because it is obvious that it has no reasonable prospect of success and/or it is not a reasonable thing to spend time complaining about.
• A vexatious claim or complaint is one (or a series of many) that is specifically being pursued to simply harass, annoy or cause financial cost to their recipient.
