Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[hiromichi]

What is the meaning of "drill baby drill"?

“The fact of the matter is Sarah Palin thinks the answer to energy was ‘drill baby drill.’
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Hiromichi

[Lorikeet]

[hiromichi]

Lorikeet:
Thank you, but what does "baby" mean in this context?
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Hiromichi

[CP]

Once upon a time in the U.S. there were people of African heritage who struggled for equal rights with white people, and the more militant ones advocated violence to achieve it. The slogan "Burn, baby, burn" was invented to signal that when the black people rioted and burned cities down, that was a good thing.

Later, more moderate people emphasized education, saying "Learn, baby, learn." Others have adopted similar slogans since then.

So Sarah Palin adopted the slogan during her failed bid for her to become vice-president, saying, "Drill, baby, drill," meaning, let's drill for oil in places that are environmentally sensitive.

The "baby" part is just a term used as a general term of address or endearment. Remember Arnold Schwartzenegger saying, "Hasta la vista, baby," Spanish for "See you later, baby."
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb