To some ears, "Gay marriage" is more polarizing than "freedom to marry" (the preferred term for conservatives) and "marriage equality" (a phraseology that unites liberals).
But the larger point, as Engel puts it, is the "sloppy loss of our own distinctive phraseology through sheer idleness, lack of self-awareness and our attitude of cultural cringe".
If the Russians refuse to accept the phraseology NATO offers them before July 8, when the alliance is to gather in Madrid to issue invitations, some Europeans could get cold feet.