Shrub
See also: shrub
English
editEtymology
editA play on his surname Bush, a shrub being a smaller bush, thus indicating that he is the junior Bush in relation to his father George H. W. Bush. Popularized by American newspaper columnist Molly Ivins (1944–2007), who co-wrote Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush (2000) with Lou Dubose.
Proper noun
editShrub
- (US politics, derogatory) George W. Bush (born 1946), the 43rd president of the United States (2001–2009).
- 1994 October 20, Ian Brodie, “Lone Star governor struggles to uproot the Shrub”, in The Times, London, page 15:
- Ann Richards [...] is running for reelection as Governor of Texas against George W. Bush, a Republican and the eldest son of the former President. […] She derides him as “all hat and no cattle.” […] Her followers hand out bumper stickers saying: “Don't elect the son-of-a-Bush.” They call him “Shrub.”
- 2000 April 13, David Foster Wallace, “David Foster Wallace on John McCain: ‘The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys and the Shrub’”, in Rolling Stone:
- For the past five days, mostly in New York and SC, the Shrub has apparently been running ads that characterize McCain’s policy proposals in what Murphy terms a “willfully distorting” way.
- 2001 April 4, David Hollingsworth, “Readers’ views: Tax cut helps only rich”, in Lexington Herald-Leader, volume 19, number 91, Lexington, Ky., page A10:
- If this tax-cut were proposed in exactly opposite proportions, conservatives would be screaming about communist re-distribution of wealth and having aneurysms right and left. It’s much better when the rich take from the poor. After all, the American rich are oppressed and deserve this windfall. Shrub said so. It must be true.
- 2001 May 7, Dick Goodemoot, “Letters: President Bush deserves disrespect”, in Corvallis Gazette-Times, volume 139, number 127, Corvallis, Ore., page A11:
- It seems that a recent letter opines that President Shrub deserves our loyalty simply because we can’t possibly know his decision making “unless we were to step into the role as president.” […] As to our inability to understand his choices, Shrub has a record in Texas.
- 2005 January 24, AbelM...@webtv.net, “Shrub is a Certifiable Loon & The Whole World Knows This.”, in alt.politics[1] (Usenet):
- Less than 24 hours after the idiot Shrub gives that disasterous inaugural speech of his, the Shrub's daddy goes to the media to apologize to the world for his son's crazy talk. Shrub's daddy is now going around trying to reassure other countries that his son didn't really mean what he said and that he is not really going to invade them after all.