A Tar Heel Political Dictionary

Catfish amendment: (noun) A seemingly friendly amendment designed to kill a bill by making it undesirable.

Chilipunked: (verb, past tense) To be left out of a news story, debate or other political event when one believes coverage is warranted, e.g. a Libertarian candidate.

Folks: (noun, plural) 1. A phrase used by North Carolina politicians to refer to almost any group of people. 2. Voters. 3. Fellow legislators. 4. One's political opponents. 5. The media. Example: "What folks in the press corps don't understand is that folks back home didn't send us folks up here to debate those folks on this issue." 

Seed corn: (noun) An item, such as spending in the budget, that could be eliminated or otherwise used foolishly now but would be better saved for the future.

Shampaign: (noun) A brief period in which potential candidates announce they are considering a run, garnering attention from the public and the media before saying they won't run after all.