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sleaze factor
Idioms and Phrases
The element in a political party, administration, or other organization that is corrupt, controversial, or tainted by scandal. For example, I can't see myself making a campaign contribution to them—there's too much of a sleaze factor . This slangy expression derives from the adjective sleazy , which means “vulgar” or “tawdry.” The idiom was first used in politics in the 1980s.Example Sentences
The so-called “sleaze factor” has eroded Mr. Johnson’s poll numbers, frayed his ties with his party’s backbenchers and raised questions about whether he might face an internal leadership challenge.
Another aide, Anji Hunter, had warned that the government was "losing moral authority by the second", thanks to the "sleaze" factor.
The Mail under Mr. Greig was especially unforgiving about the perceived “sleaze” factor in government.
Now, Mr. Johnson faces a low-grade mutiny from his party over the second-jobs scandal, which has sent London tabloids into a feeding frenzy over the perceived “sleaze” factor in government.
As special counsel Robert S. Mueller III moves toward the summation of his investigation — and whatever his eventual report produces — there is no escaping the sleaze factor that existed around President Trump before and during his campaign for the White House in 2016.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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