As UK prime minister Theresa May lost four ministers over Brexit and Westminster descended into chaos this week, Russian media captured it all in one word: Ministropad.
Written министропад in Cyrillic, the word means means “a cascade of ministerial resignations,” according to BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg. It’s a handy term for anyone following Britain’s turbulent politics; Russian commentators also aired it five months ago, when May’s foreign secretary and Brexit secretary both departed the cabinet. She’s now on her third Brexit secretary since July.
The term literally translates as “ministerfall.” Styled after the Russian word for “waterfall” (vodopad), it swaps out “water” (voda) for “minister” (ministr).
To help you remember this newcomer to the political science lexicon, here’s a visual illustration from Boris Johnson, the former UK foreign secretary who departed May’s cabinet this summer.
