Shashi Tharoor brings 'Snollygoster' back to life with retweet

Tharoor had last used the word in 2017

Shashi-tharoor-PTI-Twitter-snollygoster Shashi Tharoor retweeted a 2017 tweet to make a point on the political situation in Maharashtra

In 2017, after Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) party broke away from the Mahagathbandhan grand alliance with RJD and the Congress to join with the BJP, Shashi Tharoor tweeted his ‘word of the day’: Snollygoster.

Citing the US dialect definition of Snollygoster, which means “a shrewd, unprincipled politician,” Tharoor had listed its first known use as dating to 1845 and its most recent use as on July 26, 2017.

Now, two years since, Tharoor retweeted his old post to refer to the recent events in Maharashtra politics, saying its most recent usage was now November 23, 2019, in Mumbai.

Like with many of the Thiruvananthapuram MP’s verbose moments, Snollygoster soon piqued the attention of netizens.

Some tried to turn it against Tharoor.

Others tried their own hand at being a sesquipedalian (someone who uses big words).

The word Snollygoster possibly originates from the Pennsylvania German language “schnelle geeschter” which means “swift spirits”.

The Maharashtra Assembly Elections, held in October, resulted in a split outcome, with no single party earning a majority in the state. While the BJP and Shiv Sena were initially poised to take control using their alliance, the partnership soon broke apart after the Shiv Sena demanded the Chief Minister's seat for their role in the coalition.

The Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena then tried to form a coalition and form a government. By November 22, the plan was to make Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray the CM—although negotiations between the parties were still ongoing. On Friday night, the BJP pulled a surprise move by enticing Ajit Pawar—nephew of Sharad Pawar—to join the BJP, bringing several NCP members along with him. On Saturday morning, the Governor of Maharashtra swore in Devendra Fadnavis as the CM.

Doubts remain over how many NCP MLAs had defected with Ajit Pawar, with only a floor test being able to prove the coalition government’s majority. Since then, Ajit Pawar has been removed from his post as head of the NCP legislature. The Supreme Court on Sunday asked the Centre and the Maharashtra government to show the letter by the Governor inviting them to form the government as well as the letter of support by Fadnavis.