Jiggery-pokery – Wacky Word Wednesday

What’s that? It’s Wednesday again? Well I’ll be darned: it’s time for Wacky Word Wednesdays, a weekly celebration of some of the wackiest and most interesting words from around the world. You guessed it, today’s wacky word is: jiggery-pokery.

The definition from Dictionary.com:

jig·ger·y-pok·er·y [jig–uh-ree-poh-kuh-ree] -noun Chiefly British 1. trickery, hocus-pocus; fraud; humbug. 2. sly, underhanded action.

It comes from a combination of the Scottish words jouk, referring to an elusive movement (like ducking or dodging), and pawk, meaning “to trick.” Naturally, you need to add the English suffix -ery, which denotes the collective quality of a given noun or action. Now throw in a couple centuries of phonological change, and “joukery-pawkery” becomes the much-loved and sadly underused jigger-pokery.

Why did we choose this word for Wacky Word Wednesdays? Simply because it’s fun to say—it practically dances off the tongue. Not only that, but it sounds a thousand times better in a fake British accent!

Give it a try: JIGGERY-POKERY!

For your reference, here are two examples of jiggery-pokery used in a sentence:

• Jason stuffed a plum in his cheek, pulled down his upper lip and, in an impressive portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, lambasted the unwholesome fellow for his jiggery-pokery at the Euchre table.

• Nigel Hazelwick was furious at the disgruntled pastry chef who, in a hostile act of jiggery-pokery, purposely left out both the nooks and crannies in his morning crumpet.

Have you been up to any jiggery-pokery lately? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

In the meantime, watch your back—and keep your eyes peeled for next week’s edition of Wacky Word Wednesdays!

If you liked what you just read and you’re interested in learning more wacky words, make sure to visit csoftintl.com!