spoilsmonger means one who promises or distributes public offices and their emoluments as the price of services to a party or its leaders.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, spoilsmonger ranks #100 of 12,835 for Funniest Words, #118 of 12,835 for Most Satisfying to Say, #441 of 12,835 for The Improbable, #645 of 12,955 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “spoilsmonger” is a great word
A broker who trades public offices and their salaries as currency for political loyalty. From *spoils*, the political plunder of victory, and *monger*, a dealer or trader, from Old English *mangere*, from Latin *mango* 'dealer, trader'. Unlike a 'patronage appointee', who merely receives the office, or a 'political reformer', who seeks to dismantle the system, the spoilsmonger is the greased middleman of that system. It is the backroom handshake, the ledger of favors, the dispensation of a judgeship to a loyal partisan—the quiet conversion of public trust into private currency.
Etymology
From spoils + monger.
noun
- One who promises or distributes public offices and their emoluments as the price of services to a party or its leaders.
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