Saboteurs

/ˌsæbəˈtɜːrz/ noun

Definition

People who deliberately damage, destroy, or obstruct something to prevent it from working, often for political or military reasons.

Etymology

From French 'sabotage,' derived from 'sabot' (wooden shoe). French workers allegedly threw wooden shoes into machinery to protest working conditions in the 1800s.

Kelly Says

The origin story might be a myth—historians debate whether French workers really used sabots, but the word caught on because it was the perfect term for hidden resistance during wartime.

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