gerrymander

• n. 改變選舉區；選區不公正的重新劃分
• vt. 為政黨利益改劃選區；為一黨私利而重新將劃分選區
• vi. 不公正地劃分選區；弄虛作假

來自19世紀初美國馬薩諸薩邦州長Elbridge Gerry，其為了獲取更多選票，把選區進行人為的劃分，被嘲笑新選區看起來如同一隻salamander, 因此據此合成了該詞。

gerrymander

gerrymander: [19] The story goes that in 1812 the governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, instituted some electoral boundary changes favourable to his party, the Democrats. When a painter named Stuart saw these outlined on a map in the office of a newspaper editor, he remarked that the resulting area resembled a salamander in shape. ‘A gerrymander, you mean!’ replied the editor – and the term caught on for ‘unfair manipulation of constituency boundaries’.

gerrymander (v.)

1812, "arrange political divisions in disregard of natural boundaries so as to give one party an advantage in elections," also from 1812 as a noun, American English, from name of Elbridge Gerry + (sala)mander. Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One sprawling Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it the Gerrymander. Related: Gerrymandered; gerrymandering.

[T]he division of this county into districts has given an opportunity for a Caracatura stamped at Boston and freely circulated here called the Gerrymander. The towns as they lie are disposed as parts of a monster whose feet and claws are Salem and Marblehead. It is one of those political tricks which have success as far as they go. [William Bentley, diary, April 2, 1812]

1. Another law will gerrymander parliament in its favor.

另一項法律會讓這個政權更容易控製國會.

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