the.com/turncoat
Loyalty with a return policy, exercised at the worst possible moment.
means A person who abandons their group, cause, or side for the opposing one, especially when it's convenient or self-serving.
from From the literal idea of a soldier turning his coat inside out to hide the colors or insignia of his side — the popular legend even tells of coats made reversible, one color on each side, so a wearer could switch allegiance in a heartbeat depending on who showed up. Whether or not anyone actually sewed such a coat, the image stuck: flip the fabric, flip the loyalty. The word surfaces in English by the 1500s-1600s, already carrying its sting of betrayal.
- origin theory
- coat reversible to show other side's colors
- synonym drift
- once meant defector, now means any betrayer
- politics favorite
- used constantly, never self-applied
- timing
- always switches right before you needed them