Meaning of Sharpiegate | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A 2002 controversy where Terry Owens signed a football with a Sharpie hidden in his sock.
   informal
2. A 2019 controversy around US president Donald Trump presenting a modified weather map indicating that Alabama would be hit by Hurricane Dorian, in opposition to official forecasts.
   informal
3. A conspiracy theory claiming that ballots marked with Sharpie pens were unfairly disqualified in the 2020 US presidential election.
   informal

Examples

“THERE WILL be no Sharpiegate to distract the 49ers this week. Terrell Owens' latest hand grenade was not only defused, it turned out not to be explosive at all.”

“The US secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross, is facing calls for his resignation after it was reported that he had threatened to fire senior staff at a federal agency unless they sided publicly with Donald Trump in the rumbling dispute dubbed “Sharpiegate”.”

“The President then doubled down on his claim that Alabama was at risk. On Sept. 4, he gave an update on the storm while sitting in front of a map that appeared to have been altered with a black marker to make it seem like Alabama might be hit. Public backlash ensued, and the moment was swiftly deemed #sharpiegate on social media.”

“Emails obtained by The Hill and other news outlets through a Freedom of Information Act request show some scientists were flabbergasted at the president's actions in the so-called Sharpiegate controversy, and that they worried about other steps that might be taken.”

“Ingraham could have admitted that Trump made himself look ridiculous during the "Sharpiegate" fiasco. Instead, she was angry that Goodstein even brought it up.”

“But Maue has dinged Trump administration officials as well—notably those who were involved in a mini-scandal known as "Sharpiegate."”

CEFR level