How an old word like ‘snollygoster’ can give people power over politics

Susie nick says identifying the “snollygosters” and “mumpsimus” in our domain tin really apply people a great deal of peace during challenging political times. 

“If you think of the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin … that is all about the power of a name, being able to almost take away its power by naming it,” the U.K. Lexicographer told Sunday Magazine host Piya Chattopadhyay.

A "snollygoster," for example, typically refers to a shrewd but unprincipled politician, says Dent, while "mumpsimus" is used to describe someone who insists they’re right, despite evidence to the contrary.

Dent is the author of Words for Life: To Boost Every Day of the Year, which will be published in March. She is also known for appearing in the U.K. Channel 4 games show Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown with comedian Jimmy Carr.

She says there are a few words, long forgotten by some, that will likely continue to be applicable into the new year.

And knowing those terms are important, says political scientist Jamie Gillies, because it helps us describe situations more accurately. 

“Sometimes the terms that we bandy about today, "tyranny," in terms of governments, "authoritarianism," they actually don't quite describe what's happening,” said Gillies, a professor of public policy at St. Thomas University in Fredericton.

Dent says the term "snollygoster" was used to describe a mythical monster that parents would use in stories to frighten their children into being good. Since then, the meaning has changed, but only a bit. 

“The snollygoster ended up in the dictionary as an unprincipled person, especially a politician who is shrewd, but out for their own advantage,” said Dent. 

Gillies says that’s a term that can fit a lot of different politicians right now. 

For example, Gillies says, it could describe officials and cabinet members in the Trump administration who, back in 2016 and until 2020, led the anti-Trump Republican movement.

In Canada, some could use the term to describe floor-crossers.

“The Conservative MPs who crossed the floor to the Liberals, the Conservatives might refer to them as snollygosters,” said Gillies. 

Then there’s "empleomania." 

“'Empleomania' is, oh gosh, applicable to so many of our leaders, I think,” said Dent. 

She says it’s the obsessive desire to remain in public office, no matter the cost.

Gillies says this often applies to regimes and autocrats where there’s personal enrichment involved. He says this could include Ferdinand Marcos. Who was the Philippines' longest-serving president, and the Assad regime in Syria. Most recently, it could describe ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was recently seized by the United States and was president since 2013. 

Dent says knowing these words, and others like them, can help people come to grips with situations or people they’re struggling with in politics. 

“If you're really scared of something, really scared of an emotion, actually having a name for it and knowing that sufficient numbers of people have felt the same thing to give it a name is actually incredibly empowering,” said Dent.

For example, Dent says the Old English word "uhtcearu" means the grief or anxiety one sometimes feels before dawn, to which people throughout history have been able to relate. Knowing others have felt uhtcearu can help you get through it.

Gillies says these words also show that we aren’t the first to experience this type of political landscape. He says many of these terms likely were coined in previous populist eras, similar to the moment we are in now.

“We've seen them in Britain, we've seen them in the United States, we've seen them across Europe, where they're describing changes to what had been the norm before,” said Gillies. 

But these words do more than just give us a better description of current events. Gillies says they can change the conversation, because they have “a touch of wit to them.” 

“When you call someone a snollygoster or a mumpsimus, it’s sort of almost cheeky and a little bit more fun,” said Gillies. 

“Maybe if some of this terminology was brought back into use, it would be A, more amusing, and B, I think perhaps more of an apt description of what’s going on, instead of going to the extremes.”

Produced by Sarah-Joyce Battersby

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