spin doctor

noun

1. Slang. a press agent skilled at spin control.

spin doctor

noun

1. informal.
   a person who provides a favourable slant to an item of news, potentially unpopular policy, etc, esp on behalf of a political personality or party

Word History and Origins

Origin of spin doctor¹

First recorded in 1985–1990

Word History and Origins

Origin of spin doctor¹

C20: from the spin given to a ball in various sports to make it go in the desired direction

Idioms and Phrases

An individual charged with getting others to interpret a statement or event from a particular viewpoint, as in Charlie is the governor's spin doctor . This term, born about 1980 along with spin control , uses doctor in the colloquial sense of “one who repairs something.”

Related Words

• publicist