Etymology

astroturfing

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Today it means: The disguising of an orchestrated campaign as a "grass-roots" event, i.e., a spontaneous upwelling of public opinion. Full definition →

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The story

From AstroTurf (“a synthetic substitute for grass”), a play on grass roots, as in “fake grass roots”. Attributed to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in an unidentified 1985 public statement: "[A] fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grassroots and Astroturf."

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.