carpetbagger
pronunciation
How to pronounce carpetbagger in British English:
UK [ˈkɑ:pɪtbægə(r)]
How to pronounce carpetbagger in American English:
US [ˈkɑrpɪtbægə(r)]
-
- Noun:
- an outsider who seeks power or success presumptuously
Word Origin
- carpetbagger (n.)
- also carpet-bagger, 1868, American English, scornful appellation for Northerners who went South after the fall of the CSA seeking private gain or political advancement. The name is based on the image of men arriving with all their worldly goods in a big carpetbag. Sense later extended to any opportunist from out of the area.
Example
- 1. Who are you calling a carpetbagger .