Photo: Antonin Scalia photo by Stephen Masker Posted on 07/08/2015 4:37:58 AM PDT by Louis Foxwell
What Does "Jiggery-Pokery" Mean? Antonin Scalia's Unapologetic Use of Rhyming Photo: Antonin Scalia photo by Stephen Masker
The announcement today of the Supreme Court's decision on the fate of Obamacare was met online with paroxysms of delight, rage, and (in slightly smaller quantity) amusement. The feelings of delight and rage were largely motivated by one's political leanings; the feelings of amusement were provoked by a phrase employed by Antonin Scalia.
In his dissent, Scalia waxed furious about the "interpretive jiggery-pokery" employed, in his view, by the majority of the court in their decision. Few onlookers took exception with the word interpretive, but what follows that word is a turn of phrase rarely seen in legal writing, and aroused the interest of many.
Jiggery-pokery (meaning "dishonest or suspicious activity") is a fine example of what is referred to as rhyming reduplication, and Scalia appears to have more of a fondness for this type of language than do most of his fellow justices (he used the phrase argle-bargle several years ago in another decision). There are many such examples in English; razzle-dazzle, teeny-weeny, nitty-gritty, and perhaps the most applicable of all for use in a Supreme Court decision: phony-baloney.
Jiggery-pokery comes from Britain, as does most of the finest rhyming slang and spicy mustards, and has long been thought to have originated at the end of the 19th century. However, recent research has indicated that it is older than previously thought. The earliest known use of the phrase comes in 1845, in an article of December 27th from the Berkshire Chronicle (a newspaper from Reading, England), entitled Protection to Agriculture: "...under the present law, the averages were made up so faithfully and fairly as to prevent any jiggery-pokery."
Based on the above citation, Scalia can now point out that jiggery-pokery has been used to describe legal matters for at least 170 years, and as such, should be considered stare decisis, or at least settled law.
Never gave it much thought before.
Apologies to SoothingDave for posting his word only a week later. Great minds race across the sky at break neck speed.
i do love Scalia the scallywag.
8<)
Thank you!
Scalia is no scalawag, despite the alliteration. He’s just a plain Yankee, although he is often a friend of the South.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonin_Scalia
If you want an example of a modern-day scalawag (a TRAITOR to the South, and a feminazi to boot), here she is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Gilpin_Faust
Point taken. My use was the old form as in rascal, scamp, monkey, imp, devil, rogue. I do have greater respect for him.
I do believe they are her feet. Found the pic on Drudge.
I see what you did.
Those pudgy feet look silly in those flats with pointed toes. You’d think with all her money she could hire a person to make sure her wardrobe contained clothes that actually flatter her and look like something a serious career woman would wear...
Haven’t you noticed Democrat women are universally dowdy?
You would think.
Either they are dowdy/frumpy or they wear clothes that emphasize their worst features and look ridiculous-like Michelle Obama, with her garish flower print outfits that look like she she’s wearing the drapes from a window or the upholstery for a couch, and call attention to how wide her butt is...
I’ll bet her staff sher how good she looks, then laugh behind her back-she isn’t exactly known for being a person others like working for-they probably enjoy having her look bad as a form of revenge...
Make that “tell her”...
As I recall, those that worked at the White House - back in the day - were not allowed to raise their eyes and look at her in the hallways. I am sure it is still so....
LMAO
The pride and arrogance of the king’s new clothes are invisible to all who are unfit to witness such beauty. So it is with the boastful who hold their wisdom and sophistication higher than all who behold their magnificence.
And the little child says “the king is naked.”
So it is with the great king Obama. He is naked in wit, in morals and in ability. He is the greatest of all fools who believes himself the greatest of all wise Men.
God Bless The *Bills* ........... Bill Buckley and Bill Safire. I miss their polysyllabic genius. RIP our language.
Amen.
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