Author Topic: History Re-written  (Read 3106 times)

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charlesoakwood

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History Re-written
« on: June 07, 2013, 07:32:06 PM »

I was looking for a gif of a mugwump which lead me to discover a complete rewrite of my memory.

Back in the day it was taught, at least in some schools, that mugwumps were weak willed, on the outside looking in persons without courage or conviction.  They were graphically depicted in political cartoons as a man looking over a solid fence, grasping by the fingertips and only his nose, eyes, ear tops and forehead visible.  Only looking but not attempting to climb over, the opposite of what is now found in the dictionary.

The above behind a fence.


Mugwump - www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/?mugwump
Definition of MUGWUMP. 1: a bolter from the Republican party in 1884 . 2: a person who is independent (as in politics) or who remains undecided or neutral

Mugwump en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugwumps
Mugwumps were a group of Republican activists who supported Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the United States presidential election of 1884. Mugwump may …

Urban Dictionary: mugwump  www.urbandictionary.com/define.php??term=mugwump
1. Mugwump A politically un-enslaved man. A man with high, definite principles. A man who does not ask for office; nor accept office. A man who votes for the best man ..


Oh yeah, I could not find one image of the historic mugwump.
« Last Edit: June 07, 2013, 07:39:17 PM by Charles Oakwood »

Online Pandora

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #1 on: June 07, 2013, 08:31:19 PM »
Quote
They were graphically depicted in political cartoons as a man looking over a solid fence, grasping by the fingertips and only his nose, eyes, ear tops and forehead visible.

"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." - Mark Twain

"Let us assume for the moment everything you say about me is true. That just makes your problem bigger, doesn't it?"

Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #2 on: June 07, 2013, 08:33:18 PM »
My dear grampa used to tell me about mugwumps - literally that they were so indecisive that they would sit on a fence with their mug on one side and their wump on the other. "Don't be a mugwump!" He would tell us kids. It was his way of gently prodding us that a man who doesn't stand for something will fall for anything.

I think you'll find a picture of Mitt Romney in the dictionary under mugwump  :o

charlesoakwood

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #3 on: June 07, 2013, 08:49:54 PM »

Thank you, Pan, for the image. 
And thank you, Soup, your gramps story was right out of my history book.


Offline trapeze

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #4 on: June 07, 2013, 09:32:01 PM »
Except that image is for "kilroy."
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2013, 10:18:10 PM »
Except that image is for "kilroy."

Yes.  "Kilroy was here".
"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." - Mark Twain

"Let us assume for the moment everything you say about me is true. That just makes your problem bigger, doesn't it?"

charlesoakwood

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Re: History Re-written
« Reply #6 on: June 07, 2013, 11:45:15 PM »

Yes, I observed the link.
At the link there is no origination of the mugwump image
which precedes the WWII phrase Kilroy was here.

Which is an aside to the topic "History Re-written".

http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-mug1.htm
...1884, ..., the sense of the word changed to turncoat. Later, it came to mean a politician who either could not or would not make up his mind on some important issue, or who refused to take a stand when he was expected to do so. Hence the old joke that a mugwump is a person sitting on the fence, with his mug on one side and his wump on the other.