Oleaginous:
- having the nature or qualities of oil.
- containing oil.
- producing oil.
- unctuous; fawning; smarmy. [Dictionary.com]
Noted in “Trump is no longer the worst person in government,” George F. Will, WaPo:
Donald Trump, with his feral cunning, knew. The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America’s most repulsive public figure. And Pence, who has reached this pinnacle by dethroning his benefactor, is augmenting the public stock of useful knowledge. Because his is the authentic voice of today’s lickspittle Republican Party, he clarifies this year’s elections: Vote Republican to ratify groveling as governing.
I wonder if such big and unusual words are truly effective rhetoric, or mere posturing by the author.
