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Oxford’s famous dictionary of the English language offers no suitable expression for being pelted with brickbats by the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). I therefore begin this piece by proposing a new entry for insertion somewhere between “marfan” - a hereditary disorder of connective tissue, and “margaric” - a fatty acid of animal origin. Aesthetically a little displeasing, but spiced with delicious significance, I believe the verb “to margarethodge”, has earned a place in the great archive of our native tongue. A full and precise definition of this neologism must await the considered reflections of an OED lexicographer. But in the meantime I offer the following working definition: “the act of browbeating individuals and organisations on the basis of questionable evidence, while enjoying the impunity afforded by parliamentary privilege”.
I am aware that my version fails to include the element of demagoguery that the verb embodies, but doubtless the OED will find a form of words that embraces its full meaning.
