Quaylism

plural Quaylisms

1. A characteristic phrase or statement made by Dan Quayle (born 1947), American retired politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993.

   Second banana Dan Quayle’s tongue tangles were so numerous that they spawned an actual periodical that anthologized his Quaylisms.

   2000, Richard Lederer, “[A Pleasury of Bloopers] Politicians Incorrect”, in The Bride of Anguished English: A Bonus of Bloopers, Blunders, Botches, and Boo-Boos, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 31

   5 more examples

   For a more comprehensive list of “Quaylisms” see Jeremy Solomon and Ken Brady, The Dan Quayle Quiz Book: For People Who Think They Are Smarter Than the Vice-President (Boston: Little, Brown, 1989).

   1990, Joseph A. Pika, “Bush, Quayle, and the New Vice Presidency”, in Michael Nelson, editor, The Presidency and the Political System, 3rd edition, Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, →ISBN, page 527

   During his vice presidency, Quayle became noted for making unfortunate remarks in public, and a large number of stories were circulated about things he had said. Many of these so-called ‘Quaylisms’ are not genuine.

   1994, “QUAYLE, DAN”, in Bloomsbury Treasury of Quotations, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, →ISBN, page 590, column 1

   Quayle, I suppose, deserves credit for the cheerful fashion in which he tries to tell the full story of each of the verbal miscues of his vice presidential tenure. But this near-encyclopedic recital ended up reminding me of near-forgotten Quaylisms like the speech in American Samoa where he told the crowd that they looked like “happy campers.”

   1994, Washington Monthly, volumes 26–27, page 56, column 1

   When I began my research for the Dan Quayle interview, I went to the Internet, and the first quote to jump out at me went like this: “I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn’t study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.” What? I wondered if these “Quaylisms” were made up by those who have nothing better to do than to criticize the former vice president.

   1997, Ann Liguori, “Dan Quayle”, in A Passion for Golf: Celebrity Musings About the Game, Dallas, Tex.: Taylor Publishing, →ISBN, page 243

   So, even though the quote was misinterpreted, the “Gore invented Internet” virus has spread far and wide, distributed by daily newspapers and talk shows around the world, without anyone confirming its veracity before passing it along. Such misinformation then becomes the latest one-liner, just as we used to smirk at the so-called “Quaylisms.” I now wonder how many of THOSE statements were really made by the former Vice President.

   2000 June, David D. Thornburg, “The Deadliest Virus of All”, in Shift Control: Reflections on Education, Technology, and the Lives of Today’s Students, published 2002, →ISBN, page 105