Briefing For Two

Definitions Bureau

In US politics, campaign operatives are often said to be ‘briefing against’ others; telling off-the-record stories to journalists portraying rival politicians in a negative light. If the personal is political and whatnot, we can also find such briefing in daily life. Say Fran is regularly offering anecdotes that show Tony, a common friend, in a negative light, then she may be ‘briefing against’ that person. If such briefing seems rather out of the blue, then in fact, she might actually be ‘briefing for two’: that is, airing the grievances of her partner, Paul, against Tony, rather than simply her own negative feelings towards him. While the underlying grievance may not be genuinely felt by both parties, a united front against Tony has been established as an official position within the couple unit. Or perhaps Fran and Paul have both had it up to here with Tony and have decided, ‘to heck with it, let’s brief against that sucker’.