Sullivan, , Education, Dwarfs, Karolevitz, Words, Education, Huggins (the emperor), Pedantry

Snallygasters and such

Perhaps Harry S. Truman would have liked to contribute to the understanding (misunderstanding) of what constitutes a snallygaster or smollygoster. He is said to have applied the term to describe one who had the misfortune of being born out of wedlock. But in this sense he was more than likely to have preferred the gutter meaning of simply a bastard, in thought word and deed. Mr. Truman did not mince words.

Mr. Willard R. Espy was wont to say in his letter to the purported to be Charles Mathias, a senator from the great state of Maryland, " It appears to me that the description given by the President and the soi-disant senator are much of a piece. The President used the word to describe a cheap and venal politician "ten times out of ten a shyster lawyer". This after the senator had attempted to correct Espy pointing out that a snallygaster was a "flying ghost" who prowls about at election time to intimidate possibly dissident voters. He simply stated that both Mr. Truman and Espy misunderstood the meaning of the word. As usual Mr. Espy had the last word, "A shyster lawyer is a bastard, and no doubt your monster is, too. QED."

Note: Espy addressed Mr. Mathias as the putative senator from Maryland. Which is to say he was assumed to be unless evidence to the contrary. I chose purported since a senator is suppose to represent the state from which he has been elected and Mr. Mathias did not do so. The tale begins on April 15 in Espy's book, "Another Almanac of Words at Play".

English speaking people the world over lost one of our crown jewels with the passing of Mr. Espy on February 20, 1999. What a disappointment that he did not survive to January 1, 2000, to contribute to the puffinstuff to be sorted out on that day. Nevertheless, his books which have been often cited, see: http://www.kith.org/logos/words/lower3/eeespy.html. "He had no Peer, and Very Few Equals."

To quote from the cover of Another Almanac of Words at Play, " Espy continually blows away the clouds with his own delightful light verse and amuses us with occasional burst of satire and intermittent showers of irreverent comments on society and the state of the language." And, Espy said in reference to words, "They have made a living for me. The least I could do was write them a bread and butter letter." And, the least we can do is to say a belated thanks to Willard R. Espy!

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