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Western Word of the Week - Pork Barrel - #WesternWordoftheWeek #WesternWednesdays

Howdy!

Thanks for returning to our Western Word of the Day column. The next few weeks I'm drifting a little bit away from what we think of as truly "western" words to focus on some other vocabulary term that I've learned and wanted to share. Since we're in the midst of presidential campaigns and races, it seemed like a good time to talk about some of the terms we hear in those all the time...

Pork Barrel or Pork Barrel Projects - funding secured by politicians to go back into their local districts but is paid for by taxpayers who won't necessarily benefit

Origin of the term: During the period of slavery, barrels of salt pork would be set out for slaves who would then clambor to get their shares

Source:
History Channel, "America's Secret Slang" video series
www.history.com/shows/americas-secret-slang

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