sleaze factor

Idioms  

1. The element in a political party, administration, or other organization that is corrupt, controversial, or tainted by scandal. For example, I can't see myself making a campaign contribution to them—there's too much of a sleaze factor. This slangy expression derives from the adjective sleazy, which means “vulgar” or “tawdry.” The idiom was first used in politics in the 1980s.

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Example Sentences

Another aide, Anji Hunter, had warned that the government was "losing moral authority by the second", thanks to the "sleaze" factor.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2021

During the ensuing months, Meese became a cumbrous liability for the presidential campaign of George Bush and a living symbol of what Democrats like to call the "sleaze factor."

From Time Magazine Archive

Lance, said a delighted Reagan campaign aide, "eliminates the sleaze factor for us."

From Time Magazine Archive

Despite that sleaze factor, Minitel set the standard during the 1980s as the world's first truly practical and inexpensive provider of interactive services for a mass market.

From Time Magazine Archive

If the sleaze factor is immediately evident, so is the metaphysics.

From Time Magazine Archive