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 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.

Origin of dog whistle

1
First recorded in 1800–05

Other words from dog whistle

  • dog-whis·tle, adjective
  • dog whis·tling, noun

Words Nearby dog whistle

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How to use dog whistle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for 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

Origin of dog-whistle

1
C21: from the fact that a dog whistle operates at frequencies that can be heard only by dogs

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