Guru | ‖ /mhw>, n. [ Hind. gurū a spiritual parent or teacher, Skr. guru heavy, noble, venerable, teacher. Cf. Grief. ] 1. A spiritual teacher, guide, or confessor among the Hindus; a guru. Malcom. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. def>one who has expert knowledge of a technical area and serves as an advisor to others; an expert and teacher. Usually written guru. [ PJC ] 3. def>an intellectual or spiritual guide or advisor; a mentor. Usually written guru. [ PJC ] Variants: Gooroo |
Voodoo economics | n. (Politics) an economic hypothesis, proposed by President Ronald Regan, that large cuts in tax rates would so stimulate the economy that the tax revenue on the increases in business and personal income would offset the anticipated tax revenue losses, so that such tax cuts would not increasing the federal budget deficit. Its believers do not consider the actual massive deficit increases subsequent to the 1982-83 tax cut as being caused by the tax cut itself, but by other governmental policies. This hypothesis was graphically illustrated by the Laffer curve. [ PJC ] |
Voodooism | n. [ Probably (through Creole French vaudoux a negro sorcerer) fr. F. Vaudois Waldensian, because the Waldenses were accused of sorcery. ] A degraded form of superstition and sorcery, said to include human sacrifices and cannibalism in some of its rites. It is prevalent among the negroes of Haiti, and to some extent in the United States, and is regarded as a relic of African barbarism. [ 1913 Webster ] |