neverendum

English

WOTD – 16 December 2013, 16 December 2014

Etymology

Blend of neverending +‎ referendum. Coined by Canadian writer Josh Freed in the context of repeated referendums on the secession of Quebec.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛv.əˈɹɛn.dəm/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛv.ɚˈɛn.dəm/

Noun

neverendum (plural neverendums or neverenda)

1. A series of referendums on the same issue held in an attempt to achieve an unpopular result.
   • 1998, Pierre Desrochers, Eric Duhaime, “10: A Secessionist's View of Quebec's Options”, in David Gordon, editor, Secession, State, and Liberty, page 239:

     Another "neverendum" (as Canadian nationalists call this process) on Quebec's secession is planned before the year 2000.

   • 1999, David Schneiderman, The Quebec Decision: Perspectives on the Supreme Court Ruling on Secession, page 123:

     And so, the neverendum marches on. This is good news for the Liberals but bad news for Canada.

   • 1999 April 26, J Kirby Inwood, “Municipality creation”, in can.legal (Usenet):

     Well then you get Bouchard to have some neveredums (or neverenda, if you're literate.)

   • 1999 September 9, Dwight Williams, “Plastique and the FALN: Birds of a Feather?”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe (Usenet):

     You should see the history lessons on the Quebec referenda(neverenda?)...

   • 2011, Peter Swirski, American Utopia and Social Engineering in Literature, Social Thought, and Political History, Routledge, page 86:

     Some referenda feel like neverenda, political footballs kicked about in empty aisles.

   • 2012, Henry McLeish, Scotland: The Growing Divide: Old Nation, New Ideas, page 116:

     This is the Québécois scenario of the ‘neverendum’, which could be replicated in Scotland: the voters park their ideology and values at the elections to the Holyrood Parliament and elect an SNP or SNP coalition government, but vote differently at Westminster elections.

   • 2014 June 17, Yaniv Loran, “How to get out the youth vote”, in The Gazette, Montreal, Que., page A16:

     I refer, among other things, to the egregious abuses during our neverenda referenda and the federal robocall scandal.