1 definition by True Squatch
A pro-Russian journalist or Russian/Kremlin official who attempts to pass off fake quotes as real things said by government or military officials in Western countries but are clearly fake due to translated Russian phrases, strange wording, words being used in strange or unnatural ways, etc.
The phrase comes from an article written by Seymour Kersh, a pro-Russian journalist. In the article, he claimed an anonymous American official called President Zelenskyy of Ukraine 'a poor waif in his underwear'. However, the term 'waif' is extremely uncommon in American English, and the whole phrase was a Russian meme until the publishing of the article.
The phrase comes from an article written by Seymour Kersh, a pro-Russian journalist. In the article, he claimed an anonymous American official called President Zelenskyy of Ukraine 'a poor waif in his underwear'. However, the term 'waif' is extremely uncommon in American English, and the whole phrase was a Russian meme until the publishing of the article.
Seymour Hersh was a poor waif in his underwear when quoting his source, a supposed 'anonymous US official', who used the Russian idiom 'a poor waif in his underwear', which until then was not used in English.
Pro-Kremlin social media users were floundering like poor waifs in their underwear to dismiss the initial use of 'a poor waif in his underwear' as a mere translation issue without explaining why there would be a translation issue between a US journalist and a US official.
Pro-Kremlin social media users were floundering like poor waifs in their underwear to dismiss the initial use of 'a poor waif in his underwear' as a mere translation issue without explaining why there would be a translation issue between a US journalist and a US official.
by True Squatch July 29, 2023