logrolling

[ lawg-roh-ling, log- ]
See synonyms for logrolling on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. U.S. Politics. the exchange of support or favors, especially by legislators for mutual political gain as by voting for each other's bills: a state senate famous for its logrolling—and suspected of rampant corruption.

  2. cronyism or mutual favoritism among writers, editors, or critics, as in the form of reciprocal flattering reviews; back scratching: the well-established journalistic practice of logrolling and mutual admiration.

  1. the action of rolling a log or logs to a particular place.

  2. the action of rotating a log rapidly in the water by treading upon it, especially as a competitive sport; birling.

Origin of logrolling

1
An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; log1 + rolling

Words Nearby logrolling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use logrolling in a sentence

  • The state capital was moved to Springfield as a part of the give and take of logrolling.

    Children of the Market Place | Edgar Lee Masters
  • These appropriations are secured by what you call in America ‘logrolling.’

    The Land of the Kangaroo | Thomas Wallace Knox

British Dictionary definitions for logrolling

logrolling

/ (ˈlɒɡˌrəʊlɪŋ) /


noun
  1. US the practice of undemocratic agreements between politicians involving mutual favours, the trading of votes, etc

  2. another name for birling: See birl 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for logrolling

logrolling

In politics, advance agreement by legislators to vote for one another's bills. Logrolling is most common when legislators are trying to secure votes for bills that will benefit their home districts. For example, a group of congressmen from the Middle West pushing for higher dairy prices and a group of southern congressmen supporting higher tobacco prices might make a logrolling agreement in order to get both bills passed.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.