fever swamp

Meaning

Noun

• An area of stagnant water and hot temperatures that acts as a breeding ground for disease vectors such as mosquitos.
• A group of political extremists or an area that is dominated by them.
• A set of extreme and crazy political positions.

Origin

• The original term sprang from the belief that the swamp itself caused illnesses such as malaria and cholera, before the role of disease vectors was understood. The political use of the term is generally attributed to the neoconservative journalist Midge Decter, as a metaphor for right-wing political extremists as breeding ground for crazy ideas.