Tories 'are set to disband in Scotland' as they become a toxic brand north of the border | Mail Online

[victor steinbok]

http://goo.gl/RKkq2
Tories 'are set to disband in Scotland' as they become a toxic brand north
of the border

> Mr Fraser, a Member of the Scottish Parliament, believes the Conservatives
> have become a ‘toxic brand’ in Scotland.
>


OED is surprisingly short on "toxic" (n. and adj.):

> A. adj.
>  1. Of the nature of a poison; poisonous.
>
> 2. a. Caused or produced by a poison; due to poisoning. toxic shock
> syndrome, an acute bacterial illness observed esp. in women using tampons,
> characterized by fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain, and some peeling
> of the skin, and in severe cases followed by shock.
>  b. Of intoxication, intoxicated, tipsy. humorous.
>
> Draft Additions.
>  Finance.
>  a. Designating debt which has a high risk of default.
>  b. Designating securities which are based on such debt, and for which
> there is not a healthy or functioning market. Cf. toxic waste n. (b) at
> Additions.



I don't think this "toxic" fits any of these but YMMV. Certainly it's a
figurative derivative of toxic 1. But it's not trivial. And the usage in
"toxic brand" is similar to "toxic asset"--unattractive.

VS-)

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