172: gerrymander May 29, 2015

To gerrymander is to manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class. This word was invented in the early 19th century, and comes from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, combined with the word salamander, from the supposed similarity between a salamander and the shape of a new voting district on a map drawn when he was in office (which was 1812). These borders were changed to make a voting district that was felt to favor his party: the map (with claws, wings, and fangs added), was published in the Boston Weekly Messenger, with the title The Gerry-Mander.