Meaning, roughly, to pull the wool over someone's eyes, this word appeared today in an opinion piece in the Washington Post, followed by a comment that it should be used more often.
Hornswoggle has appeared in the Agora in text, but never as a topical word. I think it deserves more attention.
hornswoggle
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Re: hornswoggle
A fascinating word whose origin is completely unknown. I really would love to find out where this one came myself, but even the OED, granddaddy of all English dictionaries, has no idea.
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Re: hornswoggle
Wiktionary says: "Perhaps inspired by lassoed steers trying to escape by moving their head". (woggle = waggle or wobble)
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Re: hornswoggle
Wiktionary didn't give any attestation of this word associated with rodeos. I just found one and it perfectly fits Wiktionary's definition: https://everything2.com/title/Rodeo+Lingo
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Re: hornswoggle
I question this etymology. In the way I understand hornswoggle, it is the person doing the roping in of a sucker that is the one doing the hornswoggling. People being hornswoggled rarely know it until it's too late, and there's nothing that indicates any attempt to avoid the trap in the meaning of hornswoggle.
My spellcheck doesn't like hornswoggle, by the by. It should be 'hornless' according to it. The other forms are different, too. The -ing form is 'mindbogglingly,' and the past tense is 'boondoggled'.
Mindbogglingly is the suggestion, but mindboggling isn't an accepted word. That one needs to be either two words or hyphenated. Go figure.
My spellcheck doesn't like hornswoggle, by the by. It should be 'hornless' according to it. The other forms are different, too. The -ing form is 'mindbogglingly,' and the past tense is 'boondoggled'.
Mindbogglingly is the suggestion, but mindboggling isn't an accepted word. That one needs to be either two words or hyphenated. Go figure.
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