pork barrel
noun Informal.
a government appropriation, bill, or policy that supplies funds for local improvements designed to ingratiate legislators with their constituents.
Origin of pork barrel
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10
OTHER WORDS FROM pork barrel
pork-bar·rel, adjective pork-bar·rel·ing, adjective, nounWords nearby pork barrel
porina,
porion,
porirua,
porism,
pork,
pork barrel,
pork belly,
pork pie,
pork pig,
pork scratchings,
pork-barrel legislation
Example sentences from the Web for pork barrel
British Dictionary definitions for pork barrel
pork barrel
noun
slang, mainly US
- a bill or project requiring considerable government spending in a locality to the benefit of the legislator's constituents
- (as modifier)pork-barrel spending
Word Origin for pork barrel
C20: term originally applied to the Federal treasury considered as a source of lucrative grants
Idioms and Phrases with pork barrel
pork barrel
Government funding of something that benefits a particular district, whose legislator thereby wins favor with local voters. For example, Our senator knows the value of the pork barrel. This expression alludes to the fatness of pork, equated with political largesse since the mid-1800s. [c. 1900]