Meanings
plural snollygosters
- obsoleteslangA shrewd person not guided by principles, especially a politician.
[…] I recently discovered the word “snollygoster”: not a character from “Harry Potter”, but an unprincipled person in office motivated by personal rather than public gain.
[2021 May 12, The Hon. Siobhain McDonagh MP, “Fairness at Work and Power in Communities”, in parliamentary debates (Commons Chamber), volume 712, archived from the original on 03 Jul 2022, retrieved 13 May 20221 more example
[…]I called for him to publish his expenses so that all Gloucester voters could see that he isn't a snollygoster (a 19th century term meaning a corrupt politician, the website later explains).
2009 May 19, “Tory issues apology after calling Labour rival a "c***"”, in Daily Mirror, archived from the original on 20 Jan 2014, retrieved 06 Feb 2014
Origin
- Pennsylvania Germanschnelle geeschter
- Englishsnollygoster
19th-century American English. Possibly from snallygaster, a mythical beast that preys on poultry and children; possibly from Pennsylvania German schnelle geeschter, from German schnell (“quick”) + Geist (“spirit”). Largely obsolete, it briefly resurfaced in 2009 in Britain as part of a debate over MPs' expenses.
More words from Pennsylvania German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Japanese ずる賢い人
- ずる賢い人 (zurugashikoi hito)shrewd person not guided by principles
Cite this entry
snollygoster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snollygoster
“snollygoster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snollygoster. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snollygoster,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snollygoster.
Source: snollygoster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.