freedumb
noun/ˈfɹiː.dʌm/ · /ˈfɹiː.dəm/
Etymology Blend of freedom + dumb. First use appears c. 1856 as free-dumb.
1
Government, Politics US, Derogatory, Slang Stupidity masquerading as love of freedom; an assertion of one's personal liberty which is perceived to be unreasonable or motivated by stupidity.
- He lookt rather strocked, an he says: “Aint a man goin to hav no freedumb of speech?” I told him, “Of course, you’ll hav all the freedumb of speech you want—but you came up here from Connettycut an got a clerkship becaus you couldn’t get inter office at home, an you didn’t want ter bone down ter hard work.[…]”1866 March 18, Tranquill [pseudonym], “Keep Cool! Keep Cool! Keep Cool!”, in S[imon] P[arker] Hanscom, editor, Daily National Republican, volume VI, number 90, Washington, D.C.: W[illiam] J. Murtagh & Co., front page, column 4:
- Liberty is great. Even a man that can’t talk, loves his freedumb.1918 November 11, C. Green, “Wavelets from the Deep”, in M. F. Hetherington, editor, The Lakeland Evening Telegram, number 9, Lakeland, Fla., page [4], column 2:
4 more examples
- Otherwise they retain their freedom or independence at the expense of being unable to express their ideas in an ordered manner. "Freedumb" versus Freedom!1946, The University of Michigan (publisher), Rubber Journal - Volumes 110-111, page 129:
- We hear the cry freedom, freedom, on every side, but it seems some men spell it freedumb.1964, Pennsylvania Home Rule Association (contributor), Pennsylvania Road Builder - Volumes 37-38, page 5:
- ... all but the local hill-habitators who are all out and bigod they won't have any more cow if they ain't got freedumb to leave tubercles in the milk.1971, Ezra Pound, The Selected Letters of Ezra Pound, 1907-1941, page 265:
- But whoever claims vociferously and advocates 100% freedom within themselves know that it is not so and is only 100% 'FREEDUMB'1980, Institute of Traditional Cultures, Bulletin, page 83: