Susie Dent destroys Rishi Sunak with 'word of the day'

Lexicographer Susie Dent has destroyed Rishi Sunak in the most subtle way with her “word of the day”.

Dent is an expert on all things words, having appeared on the TV word-based game show Countdown since 1992.

Dent is known for referencing the news and particularly politics with her daily word posts on Twitter and today, prime minister Sunak appears to be her target.

Sunak has made headlines recently by very quickly changing his stance on car usage and green energy. It was so out of the blue, that many suspect it has everything to do with the Conservative party marginally retaining the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat in a recent by-election, based solely on a campaign against London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

Since then, the PM has ordered a review of low-traffic zones, is reportedly considering scrapping 20mph speed limits and has committed to offering more licenses for firms to drill for oil and gas.

With this in mind, Dent tweeted: “Word of the day is ‘snollygoster’ (19th century): one who abandons their principles for short-term gain or power.”

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Many suspect Dent’s post was a dig at Sunak and his apparent abandonment of green policies to win votes.

One person tweeted: “Word of the day couldn't be more apt for the snollygosters in the

@Conservatives today.

“With particular reference to snollygosters in chief @RishiSunak @grantshapps. Burning our future for their immediate self-interest.”

Someone else wrote: “Snollygoster Sunak fries the planet for political gain..”

“Prime Miniature Snollygoster - has a certain ring to it?” said another.

Environmental group Greenpeace described Sunak’s decision to grant oil and gas licenses as “a cynical political ploy to sow division”.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.