Word of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many on my landing page. Words have always fascinated me, and I am a fan of all types of word play, especially puns. I have a hard time not looking up a word that I am unfamiliar with or not sure of the definition. I like those authors that stretch me by throwing in unexpected terms.
- Noun: Snollygoster
- a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician – US dialect.
- Synonyms:
- Machiavellian
- opportunist
- knave
- And many more… Synonyms for Snollygoster
- Encountered: While watching an offering from Great Courses Plus , one on vocabulary, go figure.
- Usage: Well not usage, but my thoughts on the word. When I first heard the definition I immediately thought of El puta pendejo naranja currently stinking up the Oval Office. I began playing with how the word sounded as I pronounced it. On its own it changed from snollygoster to Snollygoster-in-Chief. For a brief moment I thought it a good euphemism for President Baldy Locks, but I then thought it sounded much too cute for that, like a character in a Dr. Seuss book. However, there is no way his heart will ever grow three sizes in one day. In fact it seems to be shrinking more and more with each new day, almost as fast as his cognitive decline.
- More:
- If you want to get your nerd on here is an article on the origin of the word: What’s a snollygoster? Even lexicographers are wrong sometimes
To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day
If you say the word with the intended tone, it doesn’t sound so cute…and sounds appropriate when applied to the so-called leaders in Washington.
???
“Talknophical” isn’t a standard English word but appears as part of the delightful, obscure 19th-century phrase ”
monumental talknophical assumnacy,” used to describe a snollygoster—a cunning, unprincipled politician who wins by sheer force of talk, regardless of party or principles, according to the New Jersey Globe and Monash University https://www.monash.edu/news/articles/heres-one-to-gymnologize-over-the-case-for-bringing-back-snollygostery,-trumpery-andhumbuggery,.