dog whistle

[dawg-hwis-uhl, -wis-, dog-]

noun

1. an ultrasonic whistle, audible to dogs and some other animals but out of the range easily perceptible to the human ear, used by handlers of working dogs and by dog trainers.

2. Chiefly Politics.,  a choice of words, coded communication, or other symbolic aspect of self-presentation that is superficially unobjectionable or neutral but conveys a secondary message aimed at those who affiliate with a controversial group or fringe ideology, usually signaling one’s own affinity for such beliefs: The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

   The candidate used “welfare reform” as a dog whistle appealing to racist voters.

   The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

dog-whistle

adjective

1. relating to the targeting of potentially controversial messages to specific voters while avoiding offending those voters with whom the message will not be popular

   dog-whistle politics

verb

1. (intr) to employ this kind of political strategy

Other Word Forms

• dog-whistle adjective
• dog whistling noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle¹

First recorded in 1800–05

Word History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle¹

C21: from the fact that a dog whistle operates at frequencies that can be heard only by dogs

When To Use

What does dog whistle mean?

A dog whistle is a political term about statements that appear innocent to the general public but they actually use subtle, coded language to communicate a secondary message to an intended group.The messages are often racial or bigoted in nature, used to attract certain voters and energize them to vote.