snollygoster means A shrewd person not guided by principles, especially a politician. It carries an Arena rating of 1514, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, snollygoster ranks #284 of 17,130 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,049 of 17,122 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,095 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #2,309 of 17,118 for Scariest Words.
Why “snollygoster” is a great word
A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician. This mid-19th century American English slang, first attested in 1846, is possibly a fanciful coinage or from 'snallygaster', a mythical beast, itself possibly from Pennsylvania German 'schnelle geeschter', from German 'schnell' ("quick") + 'Geist' ("spirit"). Unlike a demagogue, who inflames passions for power, or an idealist, who clings to principle at all cost, a snollygoster operates in the slick, shadowed margins of ambition. It is the glib deflection in a televised debate, the backroom broker’s smile in the dim cigar smoke, and the quiet rustle of a contract whose ink never quite dries—the quick spirit of self-interest haunting the machinery of power.
Etymology
19th-century American English. Possibly from snallygaster, a mythical beast that preys on poultry and children; possibly from Pennsylvania German schnelle geeschter, from German schnell (“quick”) + Geist (“spirit”).
Largely obsolete, it briefly resurfaced in 2009 in Britain as part of a debate over MPs' expenses.
noun
- A shrewd person not guided by principles, especially a politician.e.g.“[…]I called for him to publish his expenses so that all Gloucester voters could see that he isn't a snollygoster[…]”
Words closest in meaning
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