swiftboat

Meaning

Noun

1. A type of gunboat used by the United States military on inland waterways.
2. (attributive, usually) A smear campaign based on specious claims.

Verb

1. (US, derogatory, transitive) To attack a politician with specious claims.
2. (broadly) To smear; to attack someone or something's reputation using slander, misrepresentation, or false accusations.

Synonyms

bamboozle

cheat

Translations

جدع

defraudar

estafar

anschmieren

bescheißen

beschummeln

beschwindeln

betrügen

ergaunern

hereinlegen

schwindeln

übervorteilen

besebeln

escroquer

غش

Etymology

Uncertain: Possibly, swift + boat, or possibly based on an acronym for Shallow Water Inshore Fast Tactical Craft.
The use as a political term derives from a smear campaign against John Kerry when Texas tycoon Robert J. Perry hired several Navy swiftboat veterans to form the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which questioned the legitimacy of Kerry's status as a war hero.