Sarah Palin's 'Cackle' Stretches Boundaries Of English Language

Weeks after breaking new linguistic ground by using the term "refudiate," Sarah Palin has done it again.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Palin referred to a "cackle of [radicals]" who disagree with her.

Here are some common dictionary definitions of "cackle," none of which are appropriate in the context of Palin's tweet:

cack·le (kkl)

v.intr.
1. To make the shrill cry characteristic of a hen after laying an egg.
2. To laugh or talk in a shrill manner.

v.tr.
To utter in cackles: cackled a sarcastic reply.

n.
1. The act or sound of cackling.
2. Shrill laughter.
3. Foolish chatter.

Perhaps she meant to use the word "gaggle"? Or maybe some other word? Leave your ideas in the comments section.

Comments

[msw3000]

02:54 PM on 09/15/2010

another solid C student making a run for the white house. awesome!

[firewmn]

10:32 AM on 09/15/2010

WASP - women against sarah palin.. she has a weak memory.

[CVales]

08:37 PM on 09/13/2010

Sarah has made me cackle for a long time. When is she going to realize she is not a feminist? There are criteria. You have to like women enough, for instance to allow them sexual freedom and the total right to their bodies. No questions asked.

[Dan Garfinkel]

05:16 PM on 09/10/2010

But - she's misinterpretting feminism. We feminists are all for women being treated equally as men if they make the same gaffes or act just as idiotic as men.

It's neither "ironic" or "passe". but she does make me cackle.

[1000daysoframen]

01:58 PM on 09/10/2010

a "cackle" refers to a group of hyenas.

(you know - like a murder of crows, a covey of grouse or a clutter of cats or business of ferrets...)

not that i'm a palinite or anything but...

[SnarkyC]

03:37 AM on 09/11/2010

Hail Eris!

Er, that's "clowder" of cats...I realise you probably only ever heard it, as it's not in wide use.

Snarky

[graciesgra]

11:16 AM on 09/12/2010

I've never heard of any of them.

[SnarkyC]

08:45 PM on 09/12/2010

All Hail Discordia!

Oops. Never mind, "clutter" is one alternative to "clowder".

Snarky

[damyanky]

07:28 PM on 09/11/2010

1000daysoframen: I'm pretty sure it's a pissoir of Palins.

[moonshine2000]

11:46 AM on 09/10/2010

She may have used the word "cackle" after hearing someone say it after one of her speeches....in the sentence........"what the heck was that cackle?".........or of course, it could have been so no one noticed that the "hijacking" was neither "ironic' or 'passe",,.............. so what the heck was she cackling about in the first place? This woman reminds me of a White trash Linsey Lohan, where we read it because we just can't believe it!!!!!!!

[Sarah Garrett]

10:43 AM on 09/10/2010

While I absolutely think Sarah Palin is the worst kind of politician (i.e. one that trades in sound bytes and not real information), I honestly would hope that the Huffington Post would do its research before publishing something like this. It's not that hard to find out that a group of hyenas is a "cackle": http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm.

[DevilsAdvokat]

12:32 PM on 09/10/2010

Either way, what Republican would know what a "cackle" is? Or for that matter what a "hyena" is.

[SnarkyC]

03:40 AM on 09/11/2010

Hail Eris!

Still, one wonders at her linkage of radicals to hyenas.

Snarky

[electra10]

09:10 AM on 09/08/2010

she is trying to 'RECLAIM' feminism -

the way Glenn Beck 'RECLAIMED' the civil rights movement...

these are two prize kooks from the same cracker-jack box.

[mark19992000]

08:50 AM on 08/22/2010

Why do you continue to treat this woman like trash for every little gaffe. Men aren't treated this way and it's not because they don't make gaffes. It's because you show them more respect than you do women. I saw it in the way Hillary Clinton was treated (her suits and cankles) and then Palin.

[Opus Loki]

10:57 AM on 08/22/2010

Not sure about that one Mark. Dan Quayle, Gerald Ford, and of course Dubya took a pretty good beating too. Sarah brings a lot of this on herself. She is not a good speaker but she loves to be seen and heard.

[helgathewitch]

05:12 PM on 08/22/2010

As a woman I do not agree. She is an embarrassment to women. She wants to be up front and center and wordly and doesn't fit the bill. She is not someone we can all be proud of to represent our country.She can't take the heat get out of the kitchen

Do you think Obama is getting treated fairly?
Instead of getting run over the coals for grammar, because he doesn't have any trouble in this department, people try to embarrass him for other things.

[sehwha]

08:53 PM on 08/23/2010

could'nt have said it better. fav fan

[lynn1219]

12:24 AM on 08/31/2010

Spot on! She has no idea how ridiculous she sounds and, what's worse, her handlers don't seem to find it embarrassing for her. But, she does appeal to a lot of profoundly stupid people who probably don't notice all the gaffes. Obama gets it a lot worse - not born in America, a Muslim, a Socialist. Palin gets off easy, by comparison. You betcha!!

[vrndavan]

04:09 PM on 08/21/2010

What would happen if we all close our eyes and pretend she's not there?

[Opus Loki]

10:59 AM on 08/22/2010

She'd pick you pockets clean and say it was divine intervention.

[helgathewitch]

05:13 PM on 08/22/2010

Perfect reply and sooo true!

[vrndavan]

09:03 PM on 08/22/2010

and then she quit her pick pocketing, after all she'll make more money lying to America.

[dohh23]

03:14 PM on 08/21/2010

PLEASE make this woman and all of her apologists go away.
Where is Doc Brown and his DeLorean when you need them the most?

To y'all that actually believes that our current President will drive this country to Socialism - and allow me to evoke the famous words of Peter McNeeley - You have a big dump in your pants. Seriously.

[ProudMilVet]

12:15 AM on 08/22/2010

dohh23 : ROTFLMFAO ! FANNED & FAVED !

[Kenz300]

02:47 PM on 08/21/2010

What a wacko.

She needs to just go away. She already cashed in and made her millions.

People that supported her must really feel duped for supporting someone
that shallow.

[Opus Loki]

10:59 AM on 08/22/2010

Yeah but they won't admit it.

[helgathewitch]

05:15 PM on 08/22/2010

Problem is, anyone who supports her must have a few screws loose any way

[Elisabeth80]

02:47 PM on 08/21/2010

Goodness..so many Palin articles on Huffington.. just imagine how many there will be after Nov 2012 when she defeats Obama :-)

[ProudMilVet]

12:20 AM on 08/22/2010

Elisabeth80 : You are as Delusional as she is !

[Grabit]

08:22 PM on 08/22/2010

There won't be any more articles if she becomes President because we'll all be blown to bits on the first day.

[Reiner-von-Sinn]

11:34 AM on 08/21/2010

"I didn't really had a good answer, as so often -- is me."

Sarah Palin, March 6, 2010

[Steven Morrow]

08:37 AM on 08/21/2010

This is another demonstration in pettiness. Palin is belittled for being a hunter then not given her due credit. She knows her animal references. I'm quite sure she meant cackle, as in a cackle of hyenas. Which even as a verb would work if the qualifier was changed to "the" instead of "a." Which is actually appropriate, if you've seen the ridiculously cretinous ad to which she was referring.

C'mon Emily's List, first learn to apply bear make-up before you actually prove how unintellectual you all are. I simply don't understand the continued, bizarre fixation so many have with Palin. They must really feel threatened. And if it's language everyone wants to scrutinize, look no further than our ACTUAL vice president. You know the the one you elected.

[MelRoy]

10:04 PM on 08/21/2010

She hunts hyenas in Alaska??

[Opus Loki]

11:03 AM on 08/22/2010

LOL

[L Michele Lafferty]

02:52 PM on 09/18/2010

No, she's shooting at them over in Russia. Remember she can see it from her house.

[helgathewitch]

05:22 PM on 08/22/2010

I just never understand why people think that her critics feel threatened by her. Far from it. She is nothing but a woman who acts like a High School girl who wants to be popular and will do anything to acheive popularity. She will trample anyone to get what she wants and she has proven time and again that she really isn't all that intelligent. How can any intelligent person feel threatened by that?