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Webster 1913 Edition
Doughface
Dough′faceˊ
,Noun.
A contemptuous nickname for a timid, yielding politician, or one who is easily molded.
[Political cant, U. S.]
Definition 2024
doughface
doughface
English
Noun
doughface (plural doughfaces)
- (pejorative) a person, especially a politician, who is pliable, moldable like dough.
Derived terms
References
Usage notes
In the years leading up to the United States Civil War, "doughface" was used to describe Northerners who espoused sympathies with the Southern Slave Power. This would most likely be a Northern Democrat who was more allied with the ideology of Southern Democrats than that of the majority of Northerners.