PoliBlogger's Mediaese-to-English Dictionary

: "Unexpectedly Strong Resistance"

USAGE: "US forces have encountered unexpectedly strong resistance leading many to wonder if the strategy is flawed."

DEFINITION: The phrase means, in plain English, "the best case scenario did not take place" (synonym: everything isn't perfect), and carries the connotation, by native speakers of mediaese (and many anti-warites), that some failure has occurred, even if no such failure has occurred. Proper translation should take this into account.

Posted by Steven Taylor at March 25, 2026 12:39 PM | TrackBack