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Merriam-Webster trolls Trump supporter for confusing ‘molotov’ and ‘mazel tov’

Merriam-Webster is over this election.

 

Josh Katzowitz

Tech

Posted on Nov 8, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 3:30 pm CDT

Donald Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes went viral Monday when she confused a molotov cocktail with the Hebrew translation of congratulations and/or good luck. Watch as Hughes, also the political editor for RightAlerts.com, says “mazel tov cocktail” on CNN when she clearly meant to say molotov cocktail, a homemade incendiary device you can create in a bottle.

Hey, that kind of word misidentification happens on live TV. Yes, the two phrases are diametrically opposed, but hey, we’ll give her a pass. But you can’t say the same thing for Merriam-Webster’s Twitter account, which did not let Hughes’s mistake slip by.

That’s a painful molotov cocktail burn. But it’s not out of character for Merriam-Webster, which is clearly ready for this 2016 election to be finished.

And Peter Sokolowski, a lexicographer for Merriam-Webster, hasn’t been shy about tweeting the most apt words of this election. 

All in all, a clever bit of social media play by Merriam-Webster. It deserves a hearty molotov for a job well done.

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*First Published: Nov 8, 2016, 4:00 am CST