dog whistle

[ dawg-hwis-uhl, -wis-, dog- ]

noun

1. an ultrasonic whistle, audible to dogs and some other animals but out of the range easily perceptible to the human ear, used by handlers of working dogs and by dog trainers.
2. Chiefly Politics. a choice of words, coded communication, or other symbolic aspect of self-presentation that is superficially unobjectionable or neutral but conveys a secondary message aimed at those who affiliate with a controversial group or fringe ideology, usually signaling one’s own affinity for such beliefs: The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

   The candidate used “welfare reform” as a dog whistle appealing to racist voters.

   The logo on the t-shirt he chose to wear in his profile pic is a neo-Nazi dog whistle.

dog-whistle

adjective

1. relating to the targeting of potentially controversial messages to specific voters while avoiding offending those voters with whom the message will not be popular

   dog-whistle politics

verb

1. intr to employ this kind of political strategy

Other Words From

• dog-whis·tle adjective
• dog whis·tling noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle¹

First recorded in 1800–05

Word History and Origins

Origin of dog whistle¹

C21: from the fact that a dog whistle operates at frequencies that can be heard only by dogs

Example Sentences

That "Low IQ" claim is a favorite, unsubtle dog whistle Trump often applies to Black people, following his lifelong obsession with the racist pseudoscience of eugenics.

From Salon

They weren’t shy, and there was no dog whistle needed.

From Slate

Sometimes the anti-suffrage dog whistle turns into a blowhorn.

From Salon

He often distinguishes himself as someone who sticks up for neighborhood identity — what some consider a dog whistle for “NIMBYism,” a colloquial term for opposition to large multifamily housing projects or other unwelcome development.

From Los Angeles Times

But dog whistle politics, though not explicitly termed as such, also stretch much farther back through history to the post-enslavement era, argues Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a Harvard University professor of history, race and public policy.

From Salon