Like any writer who grapples honestly with the issues of his day, George Orwell was not right about everything, all the time. But in much of his work, and especially in his hundreds of essays, reviews, and editorials, the great skeptic and contrarian was as insightful about politics, culture, and the uses and abuses of language as any critic who ever lived.

In one of his most enduring essays, "Politics and the English Language" (1946), Orwell wrote that, in the wake of the Second World War, "the words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice, have ... several different meanings which cannot be reconciled ... [and] words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way."

Applying a similar lens to words and phrases, from "patriot" to "election interference," beloved by former President Donald Trump and his GOP minions, we can see a MAGA lexicon taking shape that is sure to grow even more tortured as the 2024 election draws near. Some sample entries:

Patriot: Jeffrey Sabol, a Colorado geophysicist recently sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for his role in the attack on the Capitol, told FBI agents after his arrest that he was filled with "patriotic rage" on Jan. 6, and that he "answered the call [to battle] because he was a patriot warrior." His words echo those of hundreds of other rioters who have already been tried and convicted, or pleaded........

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