Name: 【TED】Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak (Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak)
Uploaded: 2017-12-27T02:08:49.000Z
Duration: 6 min 40 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Translator: Morton Bast Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha

One of my favorite words in the whole of the Oxford English Dictionary

And what snollygoster means is "a dishonest politician."

Although there was a 19th-century newspaper editor

who defined it rather better when he said,

"A snollygoster is a fellow who seeks office

regardless of party, platform or principle,

gets there by the sheer force of monumental talknophical assumnancy."

Now, I have no idea what "talknophical" is.

But it's very important that words are at the center of politics,

and all politicians know they have to try and control language.

that the British Parliament allowed newspapers to report

the exact words that were said in the debating chamber.

And this was actually all down to the bravery

of a guy with the extraordinary name of Brass Crosby,

And he was thrown into the Tower of London

he was brave enough to take them on, and in the end,

he had such popular support in London that he won.

that we have the first recorded use of the phrase "as bold as brass."

Most people think that's down to the metal.

It's not; it's down to a campaigner for the freedom of the press.

But to really show you how words and politics interact,

I want to take you back to the United States of America,

of what to call George Washington, their leader.

What do you call the leader of a republican country?

And this was debated in Congress for ages and ages.

And there were all sorts of suggestions on the table,

I mean, some people wanted him to be called

and other people, "His Highness, George Washington,"

of the People of the United States of America Washington."

Some people just wanted to call him king --

they had the idea that you could be elected king for a fixed term.

because this debate went on for three weeks.

I read a diary of this poor senator who just keeps coming back,

And the reason for the delay and the boredom

was that the House of Representatives were against the Senate.

The House of Representatives didn't want Washington to get drunk on power.

They didn't want to call him "king," in case that gave him ideas,

So they wanted to give him the humblest, meagerest,

most pathetic title that they could think of.

"President." They didn't invent the title.

but it just meant somebody who presides over a meeting.

There were occasional presidents of little colonial councils

And that's why the Senate objected to it.

They said, "That's ridiculous! You can't call him 'President.'

This guy has to go and sign treaties and meet foreign dignitaries.

Who's going to take him seriously if he's got a silly little title

like 'President of the United States of America'?"

And after three weeks of debate, in the end,

Instead, they agreed to use the title "President" for now.

But they also wanted it absolutely set down

from a decent respect for the opinions and practice of civilized nations,

whether under republican or monarchical forms of government,

through the office of the Chief Magistrate,

And that, in the intercourse with foreign nations,

the majesty of the people of the United States

may not be hazarded by an appearance of singularity --

i.e., we don't want to look like bloody weirdos.

Now, you can learn three interesting things from this.

First of all -- and this is my favorite --

is that, so far as I've ever been able to find out,

Subtitles ListPlay Video

【TED】Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak (Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak)

assume

phrase

ridiculous

decent