[Ads-l] Word: skulduggery, skullduggery, scullduggery (altered sculduddery)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

Nice work, Garson. Thank you.

Now, if you -- or anyone -- can push "scalawag" back further than 1832*, we
will have recently covered (along with skulduggery and shenanigan) my
favorite trio of terms for shady, scoundrelly dealings in the first
half(ish) of the 19th century.

-- Bonnie

*
https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wordroutes/a-scalawag-in-the-family-tree/

On Tue, May 30, 2023 at 3:49 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> While exploring "shenanigans" I came across a citation that mentioned
> "skullduggery". Bonnie posted about that term back in July 2021.
>
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2021-July/160120.html
>
> The OED has an 1867 citation.
> Bonnie found "scullduggery" in a citation dated December 15, 1845.
> Here it is a few days earlier. It appeared twice in "The Politician":
>
> Date: December 12, 1845
> Volume 1, Number 35
> Periodical: The Politician
> Date: Monday, December 8
> Section: Reports of the Committees
> Quote Page 552, Column 3
>
> https://books.google.com/books?id=oRkF5ZOmASEC&q=%22he+saw+at+once%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> At this instant said he (Mr. Glenn) he took the Speaker's stand and
> put the question, (which Mr. Buchanan ought to have put) of
> adjournment until 9 o'clock, A.M. Mr. G said he saw at once, that Mr.
> B. had some of his scullduggery on hand. He thought that this was an
> act of a small character.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Date: December 12, 1845
> Volume 1, Number 35
> Periodical: The Politician
> Date: Tuesday, December 9
> Section: Afternoon Session
> Page 553, Column 3
> https://books.google.com/books?id=oRkF5ZOmASEC&q=%22House+got%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Here the House got into what several members called "scullduggery,"
> that is, great confusion, and several motions were made to lay the
> bill on the table, but at length Mr. Flippin got the floor and offered
> an amendment, but the Chair said it was out of order, and after
> several motions to adjourn one prevailed.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org