What's In a Word?

Today's word is "mandate".

Just what does it mean? Is it when a woman goes on a date with a bloke? Just the one bloke? I am assuming that there could be a "mendate" (and that's not Kiwi-speak either). What if a man goes on a date with another man, would that also be acceptable?

Do we need to introduce new words into the language that can be used by either sex? Is it code for our leaders to be gay? How many times have we heard John Howard or George W. Bush talk about their "mandate"? Some tabloid material here.