Glimpse of Yesteryear
With the inauguration still before us, it is still the political season. Its time to celebrate some of the interesting political words…
With the inauguration still before us, it is still the political season. Its time to celebrate some of the interesting political words that have evolved through the years.
Take, for example, earmark. This little word started out in the late 1400s and originally meant a cut or mark in the ear of sheep, pigs and cattle that served as a sign of ownership. (It could also signify a punishment of certain criminals … but we wont dwell on that meaning.) The word earmark was first recorded in the 1570s in a figurative sense as a stamp of ownership. Nowadays, it means to set aside money for a special purpose. Politicians like to do this, but no real sheep, pigs or cattle involved.
Then, in (or about) 1703, another word often associated today with politicians became common, the word bamboozle. This seems to have originally been a slang word, perhaps Scottish from bombaze, meaning to perplex, or it could have been related to bombast, or French embabouiner to make a fool ( or baboon) of. Of course, its also possible that bamboozle was simply dreamed up out of thin air. Thats never a very satisfying explanation, but English is full of words that were invented to fit a momentary need and continued in use for long and happy lives. Now, politicians who are out to pull the wool over your eyes are out to bamboozle you.
From the 1800s, we get such politically active words as lobbying (people who wanted to promote special interests were, at first allowed to use the legislative chambers, but were banished to said chambers lobbies because of their insidious … and often loud … persistence). Then, theres filibuster from the word for a pirate out to get whatever he could for himself (filibustro). Legislators who obstructed the passage of bills until their demands were met were said to filibuster; they still are.
And can we speak of earmark, bamboozle and filibuster without mentioning pork barrel? In the 1890s, a pork barrel was exactly that … an open barrel of salt pork. There were also cracker barrels and pickle barrels standing open in the old-fashion stores. Some people would dip into the pork barrel and help themselves. Today, the terms refers to a fund of money that politicians dip into for their own or their constituents personal projects.
More recently, we have gobbledygook. This word was coined in 1944 by U.S. Rep. Maury Maverick (grandson of Sam Maverick, whose habit of not branding his cows gave us maverick, meaning independent and also sometimes used in the political arena. Guess Sam didnt believe in earmarks. The nonpolitical kind, at least.). One day, Rep. Maverick, overseeing factory production during World War II, described the double-talk and jargon he was encountering from government officials as gobbledygook, and the word was an instant hit. He later explained that gobbledygook was his attempt to imitate the sound a turkey makes. But in one inspired moment, he gave us the perfect word for the sound a bureaucracy makes.
For information on the events at the Geauga County Historical Society’s Century Village Museum, call 440-834-1492 or visit www.geaugahistorical.org.
