philippic
noun

- a bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one

- a strong criticism of someone or something, especially in a speech

- a discourse or declamation full of bitter condemnation

Oxford English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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WORD ORIGIN

The term "philippic" derives from ancient Greek and refers to forceful, inflammatory speeches or texts that strongly denounce or attack someone or something.

It originates from Philippikos (Φιλιππικός), which literally means "pertaining to Philip" and refers specifically to the famous orations delivered by the Athenian statesman and orator Demosthenes against King Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BCE. Demosthenes gave a series of powerful speeches warning Athenians about the dangers of Philip's expanding power and urging resistance against Macedonian influence.

These speeches were so renowned for their fierce rhetoric and passionate denunciation that "philippic" entered the language as a generic term for any verbal attack or denunciatory oration.

The term gained further prominence when the Roman statesman Cicero later delivered his own series of fourteen orations against Mark Antony, which he deliberately titled "Philippics" in homage to Demosthenes' original speeches.

Today, a "philippic" refers to any bitter verbal attack, tirade, or invective speech, particularly one directed against a person or policy.

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GUESS WHO THESE PHILIPPICS REFER TO:

- “The CEO of me, myself, and I."

- "A walking exclamation point."

- "The diplomacy wrecking ball."

- “The nation's first toddler-in-chief."

- “The national attention deficit disorder."

- “The presidential equivalent of a pop-up ad."

- “A walking national security clearance exception."

- “The only person who can make 'huge' a two-syllable word."

- “The world's most successful combover that somehow became sentient."

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SYNONYMS

admonitions, accusations, animadversions, arraignments, aspersions, attacks, beratings, blasts, castigation, censures, chastisements, complaints, condemnations, criticism, critiques, diatribes, disapprovals, disparagements, harangues, indictments, invectives, lambastings, onslaughts, opprobrium, PHILIPPICS, rebukes, reprimands, reproaches, reproofs, reprovals, revilements, rants, scoldings, tirades, upbraidings, vituperations

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Of all U.S. presidents, Trump has attracted the most devastating PHILIPPICS in the whole of American political history.”


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THANKS to Rainer for suggesting today’s OWAD.

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