hail to the chief

    First, someone on Austen-L fantasises that if Lizzie Bennett's
    witty old dad had written letters they would read like something
    by yours truly. And now - bliss indeed - to find oneself the subject
    of a Hochman ode. Careful, chaps, it's beginning to go to my head.

    Because, you see, even I knew that 'mugwump' wasn't what it
    sounded like - a bloke who goes around wumping mugs.
    But was, rather:

        MUGWUMP | mLwLmp | n. & a. Chiefly N. Amer. M19.
        [Algonquian mugquomp great chief.] A n. 1 A great man, a boss.
        Chiefly joc. M19. 2 A person who holds aloof from party politics;
        spec. in US Hist. a Republican who in 1884 refused to support
        the Republican nominee for president. Also, a person who remains
        neutral or non-committal. L19. B attrib. or as adj. That is a
        mugwump; of or pertaining to mugwumps. L19.mugwumpery
        n. behaviour or qualities characteristic of a mugwump L19.
        mugwumpish a. E20. mugwumpism n. behaviour characteristic
        of a mugwump; the principles or practice of mugwumps: L19.

    How about that, then? A great man, a boss, huh? I'm not so sure
    about non-committal or holding aloof - & especially not from
    the Republican nominee who can hardly have had a more ardent
    & consistent supporter.

    They got it right with the Algonquian, though.

    Scottie B.

-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
Received on Fri Nov 1 02:51:04 2002