Turncoat

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Grammarist

Turncoat is an idiom that has been in use for hundreds of years. We will examine the meaning of the idiom turncoat, where it came from, and some examples of its use in sentences.

A turncoat is a traitor or someone who shifts his allegiance from one affiliation to another. A person who changes political parties may be considered a turncoat. Someone who takes one friend’s side in a dispute and then takes the other friend’s side may be considered a turncoat. The word turncoat has been in use since at least the 1570s, though the exact origin is uncertain and may be much earlier. Some believe the word turncoat comes from the act of turning the allegiance of one’s coat of arms from one lord to another. Some believe turncoat is derived from the act of literally turning one’s coat inside out to hide one’s affiliation. Turncoat is a closed compound word, which is made up of two words joined together without hyphens or spaces. This type of compound is also called a solid compound word. The plural of turncoat is turncoats.

Examples

Lou Dobbs lashed out at John Bolton on Wednesday night, calling the former White House national security adviser a “turncoat” and “a petty snarling Lilliputian.” (The Huffington Post)

BJP turncoat and now Congress spokesperson Udit Raj said, “PM has announced a package of Rs 20 lakh crore. But where will the money come from?” (The India Tribune)

He continued the regime’s efforts to assassinate turncoat exiles, killing as many as a hundred and sixty people worldwide. (The New Yorker)