Snollygoster: A deliciously devious word (#326)

 Every now and then, the English language coughs up a word so curious, so characterful, and so loaded with sly charm that it demands to be dusted off and revived.

Snollygoster is one of those words.

This 19th-century American English term refers to a person, especially a politician, who is shrewd, self-serving, and utterly lacking in principles.

A snollygoster will say anything, do anything, and ally with anyone if it means gaining an advantage. If Machiavelli had been born in Georgia rather than Florence, he might have coined the word himself!

Though the origin is unclear, some believe snollygoster may have been cobbled together from fanciful nonsense syllables, in the tradition of hornswoggle or flapdoodle. Others point to possible Germanic roots.

This lack of clarity only adds to the charm of snollygoster.

The word emerged in the U.S. mid-1800s, often used in political commentary to describe schemers and backroom dealers who prioritized power over principle.

One early use appeared in the Columbus Dispatch in 1895, defining a snollygoster as a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform, or principles … a kind of political tramp with a long, keen nose for political jobbery.

A few years later, President Harry Truman helped revive the term when he used it in a 1952 speech, declaring:

A snollygoster is too smart to be honest.

The beauty of snollygoster lies not only in its rich meaning but in the sheer delight of saying it. It sounds like something out of a Roald Dahl story or a Mark Twain aside. A political jab laced with humor and bite.

Rick’s Commentary

In an era when political language is often sterile, euphemistic, or painfully blunt, there’s something refreshing about a term that manages to be both evocative and old-fashioned, cheeky and precise.

Maybe it’s time for a snollygoster revival.

Not because we need more snollygosters! (Heaven forbid).

But because naming them with linguistic flair might just help us see through the fog of spin and self-interest.

So next time you see someone twisting themselves into rhetorical knots to win a vote, a deal, or a dollar, reach for this vintage gem.

Don’t call them slick. Don’t call them shameless.

Call them what they are: a snollygoster.

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