Are you a Mugwump?
Hello,
This week’s word is mugwump, a word I collected for my list some time ago and which I absolutely love for the way it sounds aloud.
Mugwump is an obsolete American English slang word so don’t fret if you haven’t heard it before, however it could easily come back into use in modern times, so feel free to adopt it today.
What is a mugwump and are you one? A mugwump has two potential meanings 1) somebody who left the Republican Party in 1884 (more on that in a moment) or 2) a person who remains neutral and independent in their political views
Mugwump entered American English in the 1830s as a joke word for an important person or boss. This was borrowed from the Algonquian Native American Indian word mugquomp for important person or war leader. By the 1840s it was being used satirically to indicate somebody who thinks they are important, but may not be in reality.
Mugwump gained a political dimension in 1884 when a group of Republicans refused to support their party’s presidential candidate James G. Blaine as a result of corruption issues, and threw their votes to the Democratic candidate, Grover Cleveland, instead. Cleveland was duly elected president.
The rebellious Republicans were christened mugwumps as a term of abuse but they embraced it. Their independence later prompted a humourist (whom I am yet to identify) to define a mugwump as “a bird who sits with its mug on one side of the fence and its wump on the other”. As a political slur it was revived by Boris Johnson in 2017 against the leader of the Labour party.
Until next time happy reading, writing, and wordfooling,
Grace (@Wordfoolery)
p.s. I’ll be chatting about Christmas words – tinsel, wassail, mistletoe, and carol – on LMFM this Wednesday at 12.15 so tune in if you’re local, listen online, or check the podcast later. Be prepared for Viking legends, pagan rituals, and King Henry VIII along the way.
p.p.s. Today is the last day to order my paperbacks from Amazon for reliable Christmas delivery, but signed copies are still available from me and ebooks can be gifted right up to Christmas Eve.
