maverick

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n

Definition: radical
Antonyms: conformist

Origin: 1867

It was all the fault, or the bright idea, of Samuel Augustus Maverick, who lived from 1803 to 1870. Descended from an old and notable New England family, he sought his fortune in Texas and there inadvertently made a name for himself. He took up cattle ranching, which was quite a different proposition from raising livestock back East. In Texas cattle grazed on the open range, without fences to keep one herd separate from another, and thus there was much opportunity for theft and disputes over ownership. To identify their cattle, ranchers branded them, rounding up the calves each year for this purpose.

But Maverick put no brand on his cattle. Stories about "old man Maverick" give various reasons for his abstinence: he was lazy; he objected to the cruelty of branding. Whatever the reason, if he had been an ordinary citizen, this practice would have put him at the mercy of other ranchers, who would have appropriated his cattle and marked them with their own brands. But Maverick was influential: mayor of San Antonio, member of the Texas legislature, and holder of 385,000 acres, he was able instead to claim that any unbranded calf was his. And so, either in earnest or in jest, the name maverick was applied to all cattle without brands. In 1867 a writer complained, "The term maverick which was formerly applied to unbranded yearlings is now applied to every calf which can be separated from the mother cow--the consequence is, the fastest brander are accumulating the largest stocks."

It was too good a word to leave to the cattle. What better word to use for a politician who was "unbranded" by a party label, not "owned" by special interests? In 1886 a San Francisco publication called the California Maverick defined it: "He holds maverick views" means "his views were untainted by partisanship." A Massachusetts politician declared in 1905, "I am running as a maverick; I have no man's brand upon me." Maverick accords with our American inclination to admire someone who goes his or her own way. A loner (1947) may be loony, but a maverick is an independent thinker.

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Although most members of Congress still follow the advice of Speaker Sam Rayburn (Democrat–Texas) that “to get along you have to go along,” a few senators and representatives made their career not by “going along” but by becoming legislative mavericks. Mavericks tend to represent a minority viewpoint within their own party and tend to refuse to bend their principles to prevailing attitudes. Mavericks are often showmen who enjoy the spotlight of publicity. They will employ disruptive tactics to stop or slow down action on a bill, trying to make the majority agree with their demands. They may show contempt for the rules, courtesies, and elaborate forms of politeness that other legislators adopt with each other.

Robert La Follette, Sr. (Republican–Wisconsin) would rather lose a legislative battle than to accept “half a loaf.” George Norris (Republican–Nebraska) challenged powerful Speaker of the House Joseph G. Cannon and was successful in reducing the Speaker's powers. Huey P. Long (Democrat–Louisiana) resigned from his committee assignments and devoted his attention to flamboyant speeches on the Senate floor, often mimicking and mocking other senators. Joseph R. McCarthy (Republican–Wisconsin) flaunted the Senate's rules and decorum until he was censured. Mavericks generally work outside of their party's official leadership. By contrast, Representative Newt Gingrich (Republican–Georgia) gained enough notoriety from his maverick stands to be elected one of his party's leaders in the House.

See also Independents, congressional

An unbranded calf whose ownership is in doubt.

For a list of words related to maverick, see:

• Animal Types and Parts - maverick: unbranded range cow
• Respectful or Admiring Reference

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See words rhyming with "maverick."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Maverick.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - individualist, uafhængig person, person, der går mod strømmen
adj. - være uafhængig i tanke og handling

Nederlands (Dutch)
non-conformist, moederloos/ ongemerkt kalf, persoon zonder meester/zwerver, non-conformistisch, dwalen

Français (French)
n. - anticonformiste, veau non marqué
adj. - non-conformiste

Deutsch (German)
n. - Einzelgänger, Alleingänger
adj. - einzelgängerisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αντιρρησίας, άτομο με ανορθόδοξες αντιλήψεις ή/και ανεξάρτητο πνεύμα

Italiano (Italian)
individualista, capo di bestiame non marchiato

Português (Portuguese)
n. - animal desgarrado (m), político independente (coloq.)

Русский (Russian)
бродяга, индивидуалист, сектант, неклейменный теленок, приобретать нечестным путем

Español (Spanish)
n. - res sin marca, becerro separado de su madre
adj. - inconformista, disidente

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - omärkt kalv, partilös (person), ensamvarg, oavhängig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
未烙印的小牛, 持不同意见的人, 不服从的人, 未烙印的, 持不同意见的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 未烙印的小牛, 持不同意見的人, 不服從的人
adj. - 未烙印的, 持不同意見的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 어미를 잃은 새끼 동물, 무소속 정치인, 이단자
adj. - 낙인 없는, 무리에서 동떨어진

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 焼き印のない子牛, 一匹狼

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بقرة أو نعجه لم توصم بوشم صاحبها, شخص خارج على عرف الجماعه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עגלה לא מסומנת, אדם בעל מחשבה עצמאית, טיל מתביית אמריקני‬
adj. - ‮לא שוחה עם הזרם, פורש‬

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