Tarbellize

English

Etymology

Tarbell +‎ -ize, after Ida Tarbell, author of The History of the Standard Oil Company, a book that heavily criticized John D. Rockefeller and his monopolistic practices.

Verb

Tarbellize (third-person singular simple present Tarbellizes, present participle Tarbellizing, simple past and past participle Tarbellized)

1. (obsolete, transitive, early 20th century, US) To criticize through investigatory journalism.
   • 1903, The Equitable News: An Agents' Journal:

     The agencies of the Central States have been "Tarbellized" this month. Now watch the returns.

   • 1906, Life:

     At this stage we must take a risk; / We may full soon be Tarbellized, / Or through exposures blunt and brisk / Be quite completely Lawsonized.

   • 1906, Army & Navy Life and the United Service:

     Shirley worked deviously, of course. Having, under a name not her own, achieved fame by Tarbellizing the plutocrat in a book, and having (still in disguise) been given by the simple minded great man command of his most private papers […]

   • 1917, The Magazine of Wall Street:

     [T]he time was when the public feeling against the Standard Oil has been Tarbellized and Lawsonized into almost a fever-heat.