maelstrom ˈmāl-strəm , -ˌsträm noun
1. a powerful circular current of water (usually the result of conflicting tides)
2. a state of confusion or turmoil
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The word maelstrom has appeared in 51 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 2 in the Opinion essay “The Official British Policy? Mayhem” by Roger Cohen:
The country’s main political parties, the Conservatives and Labour, buffeted by the Brexit maelstrom, are in crisis — beset by desertions, insurrections and division. As elsewhere in Western democracies shaken by the failings of liberalism, hard-line factions to the left and right have gained sway. They offer rekindled socialism or make-Britain-great-again nationalism as the answer to inequality and ennui.
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