2a : something that secures (such as a wax seal on a document)b : a closure that must be broken to be opened and that thus reveals tamperingc (1) : a tight and perfect closure (as against the passage of gas or water) (2) : a device to prevent the passage or return of gas or air into a pipe or container.
George W. Bush took more vacation days than any other president. During his eight-year presidency, Bush did take 879 days of vacation, including 77 trips to his Texas ranch. So far, Obama has taken about 150 days off. But our founders were away even more. During his first two years in office, President John Adams was criticized for making two lengthy trips to his home in Quincy, Mass., taking him away from the capital, which was then Philadelphia, for a total of eight months.
In downplaying his vacation, Obama's team is responding to a very American idea -- that time off is time wasted, or at least will be criticized as such by others. A 2012 study found that many U.S. workers do not take even their allotted time, on average leaving nine days of vacation on the table.