Question

fifth column noun "Fifth column," a translation of the Spanish "quinta columna," was inspired by a boast by rebel general Emilio Mola during the Spanish Civil War. Mola predicted Madrid would fall as four columns of rebel troops approaching the city were joined by another hidden column of sympathizers within it. In an October 1936 article in The New York Times, William Carney described those secret rebel supporters as the "fifth column," and English speakers seized upon the term. It gained widespread popularity after Ernest Hemingway used it in the title of a 1938 book, and it was often applied (along with derivative forms such as "fifth columnism" and "fifth columnist") to Nazi supporters within foreign nations during World War II. : a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders

Accepted Answer

October 1, 2008 FIFTH-KAH-lum In the 1950s the Communist Party was denounced in the United States as a fifth column, and many people were unjustly blacklisted as Communist sympathizers.

Word	fifth column
Date	October 1, 2008
Type	noun
Syllables	FIFTH-KAH-lum
Etymology	"Fifth column," a translation of the Spanish "quinta columna," was inspired by a boast by rebel general Emilio Mola during the Spanish Civil War. Mola predicted Madrid would fall as four columns of rebel troops approaching the city were joined by another hidden column of sympathizers within it. In an October 1936 article in The New York Times, William Carney described those secret rebel supporters as the "fifth column," and English speakers seized upon the term. It gained widespread popularity after Ernest Hemingway used it in the title of a 1938 book, and it was often applied (along with derivative forms such as "fifth columnism" and "fifth columnist") to Nazi supporters within foreign nations during World War II.
Examples	In the 1950s the Communist Party was denounced in the United States as a fifth column, and many people were unjustly blacklisted as Communist sympathizers.
Definition	: a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders

Rebel Supporters Column October Spanish Mola Sympathizers Secret