SHERMANESQUE

PRONUNCIATION: (shur-muh-NESK)

MEANING: adjective:
1. Unequivocal, especially in refusing to run for an office.
2. Brutally thorough, especially in defeating someone.

ETYMOLOGY: After William Tecumseh Sherman, Union general in the American Civil War. Earliest documented use: 1918.

NOTES: The Union general William Tecumseh Sherman didn�t mince words. When he was being considered as a presidential candidate, he said, �I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.� Since then, a categorical statement, especially a denial, is called Shermanesque. Reporters ask politicians if their announcement not to run for an office is Shermanesque to confirm whether they really mean it.

Sherman also didn�t beat around the bush when it came to military campaigns. His soldiers destroyed infrastructure, farms, etc. in their wake. So the term Shermanesque is also used to refer to a scorched-earth approach.

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SHORMANESQUE - like a sailor on leave

SHERPANESQUE - like a Himalayan mountain-climbing guide

SHEMANESQUE - in-your-face transgender