clothespin vote

noun

A vote that is cast for a given candidate despite personal reservations or a distaste for that individual.

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Meanings

nounclothespin vote (plural clothespin votes)

plural clothespin votes

  1. idiomaticgovernmentA vote that is cast for a given candidate despite personal reservations or a distaste for that individual.

Origin

From the idea of figuratively holding one’s nose and voting.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

clothespin vote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clothespin%20vote

MLA

“clothespin vote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clothespin%20vote. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clothespin vote,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clothespin%20vote.

Source: clothespin vote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.