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Dorothy Dixer

British  
/ ˌdɒrəθɪ ˈdɪksə /

noun

  1. informal  a parliamentary question asked by a member of the government so that the minister may give a prepared answer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Dorothy Dixer

from pen name Dorothy Dix of US journalist Elizabeth Meriwether (1870–1951), who wrote a column replying to correspondents' problems