useful idiot

== English == === Etymology === The earliest known usage in Western media is in a 1948 article in the social-democratic Italian paper L'Umanità – as cited in the New York Times article on Italian politics (see quotations). Often misattributed to Vladimir Lenin. === Noun === useful idiot (plural useful idiots) (historical, derogatory, politics) A Communist sympathizer in Western countries, from the perspective of the political right. (derogatory, politics) One who unwittingly supports a malignant cause through naive attempts to be a force for good. ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === useful idiot on Wikipedia.Wikipedia