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Originally Posted by thedaffodils  Hi!
Could you please illustrate what shibboleth issues are? I don't really understand the word of " shibboleth" though I have thumbed through a dictionary. Which entry as belows is suitable for this context? Thanks in advance!  |
A shibboleth is a belief or custom that is not now considered as important and correct as it was in the past
— ORIGIN originally in the sense a word or sound which a foreigner is unable to pronounce
Someone who has shibboleths holds onto their beliefs whether they are valid or not valid.
It is a shibboleth that all Englishmen are unemotional.
The politicians hold to the shibboleth that they are hard-working and honest people doing a good day's work for a fair wage.
The town dweller has a shibboleth that all countrymen are stupid.
The passage you quote is suggesting that McCain is somewhat out of date in the issues that he is concerned with.