Canard sounds like the perfect name for a basset hound … or maybe not. What do you think? Would Fido lick your face or take a bite out of your ankle if you started calling him Canard? What does canard mean?

A. A large vat of vegetable oil.
B. To sing merrily.
C. A false, misleading report or rumor.
D. An evil spell cast by witches or demons.
E. A dessert tray used in French restaurants.

Well, your loyal dog will not be happy to learn that the correct definition of canard is … a false and misleading report or rumor. Canard has a very negative connotation, implying a deliberate attempt to discredit something or, more usually, someone.

In our current political season (which runs for 30 consecutive months or so), canards can be seen flying fast and furious all across the land, from California to the New York Island, from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters.

Many regard former President Clinton as the King of Canards and Hillary as His worthy successor. Senator McCain enjoyed a basically canard-free reputation until the Florida primaries, when he apparently misrepresented Mitt Romney’s position on the Iraq War. And yet the canarder can also be the canardee, as this New York Times article demonstrates -

Significantly, he’s remembering to defend against more of the midnight smears that staggered him in 2000. Mr. McCain is even dealing creatively with that campaign’s vicious canard, that he fathered a black daughter out of wedlock. This time, his wife and campaign literature offer beguiling — strategically pro-life — images of the girl’s adoption at Mother Teresa’s clinic. [emphasis mine]

One may wonder why the focus on politics, a topic I rarely delve into on this blog. The reason is because canarding* is an accepted, perhaps even expected, practice in political circles. In the Word Sell world of sales and marketing … not so much. Spreading false rumors has never been an effective technique for increasing profits or improving positive brand image. The word has little play outside the political arena.

So between now and the end of the campaign season - if and when it occurs - see how many times you can describe a political statement as a canard. Better get a pocket calculator, eh?

*Canarder, canardee, and canarding are new contributions to the English language, courtesy of Word Sell, Inc.