Dictionary

Whiskeyleaks en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈʍɪs-/ (Received-Pronunciation) without the wine–whine merger
• /ˈwɪs.kiˌliks/ (General-American)
• /ˈwɪs.kiˌliːks/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈʍɪs-/ (General-American) without the wine–whine merger

Etymology

Blend of whiskey + WikiLeaks. Sense 2 refers to Pete Hegseth's alleged alcoholism and involvement in an American group chat that was leaked on March 2025.

Meanings

1. (US, colloquial) Intelligence leaks due to alcohol intoxication.
   • The WhiskeyLeaks scandal has been a mixed bag. On the one hand, Trump’s clown car of bozos and boozers jeopardized national security. But on the other hand, they’ve inspired some really funny songs! 2025 March 28, Andy Borowitz, “WhiskeyLeaks: The Musical!”, in The Borowitz Report, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2025:
   • Whiskeyleaks Fallout Intensifies 2025 March 27, John Iadarola, “Whiskeyleaks Fallout Intensifies | MTG Clowns Herself | Boebert Facepalms With MAGA Stunt”, in The Young Turks, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2025:
   • In honor of Pete Hegseth, Signal is changing its name to "Whiskeyleaks" to capitalize on this opportunity. 2025 March 27, @tazntampa [user name], “The founder of Signal just threw epic shade at JD Vance and it’s nothing short of magnificent”, in The Poke (comment), archived from the original on 27 Mar 2025:
   • “SignalGate” (also being called “Whiskileaks” thanks to Punch-Drunk Pete Hegseth’s raging alcoholism) is rightfully dominating the social media conversations today. I think Jeffrey Goldberg deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor for exposing just how dangerously unfit the entire Trump administration really is. 2025 March 26, “SEND UP A SIGNAL, I'LL THROW YOU A LINE”, in Political Voices Network, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2025:
2. (US, derogatory, humorous) Nickname for Pete Hegseth (born 1980), United States Secretary of Defense.
   • WhiskyLeaks Unveiled 2025 March 25, “WhiskyLeaks Unveiled”, in South Dakota Department of Propaganda, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2025:
   • Cartoon: Whiskeyleaks 2025 March 27, laloalcaraz, “Cartoon: Whiskeyleaks”, in Daily Kos (image caption), archived from the original on 27 Mar 2025:
   • In fact, it seems Hegseth has a name nickname, as some people online have started calling him “WHISKILEAKS.” 2025 March 26, Phenix S Halley, “Whew Child! Black Twitter Is Having a Field Day As 'Signal Gate' Messages Get Exposed”, in The Root, archived from the original on 01 Apr 2025:
   • Trump to fire Hegseth? Ex-Pentagon official says ‘Whiskeyleaks’ may be replaced as ‘even bigger bombshell stories coming’ 2025 April 22, Gulshan Parveen, “Trump to fire Hegseth? Ex-Pentagon official says ‘Whiskeyleaks’ may be replaced as ‘even bigger bombshell stories coming’”, in WION, archived from the original on 23 Apr 2025:
   • If you plug the hashtag Whiskeyleaks into X, you'll be met with a string of references to Hegseth. This shiny new moniker references two things. The first is the fact that Hegseth has been accused of having a drinking problem. […] Here's the thing: It would appear that war plans were definitely texted, as The Atlantic responded by releasing the entire string of messages exchanged on Signal. In the spirit of Julian Assange, whose WikiLeaks media company has been responsible for publishing classified documents since 2006, we give you Whiskeyleaks. 2025 March 26, Jennifer Tisdale, “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's Nickname Is Now Whiskeyleaks — What a Time to Be Alive”, in Distractify, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2025:

Forms

Relateds

Kegseth · Signalgate