shibboleth

“Gain of Function” has become something of a shibboleth for lab-leak adherents, the way “critical race theory” and ESG have become dog whistles for activists trying to undermine, respectively, the public educational system and environmental and social concerns for investors — in this case, giving the term a uniquely sinister connotation.

In violation of virtually every shibboleth governing the conduct of samurai, her father assassinated a brutal lord for the sake of the realm.

Another hard truth is that acceptance of transgender service members harming retention or recruitment is a shibboleth that obfuscates the fact soldiers are leaving because they are burned out, and they are not joining because they perceive greater opportunities elsewhere.

Letterboxd, the social network for recommending and reviewing movies, has become a kind of shibboleth for film nerds over the past decade.

As I’ve been writing for nearly a year, the idea that wage increases drive inflation has been an enduring shibboleth among economists.