Has anyone besides me heard this term & knows what it means?

Question

What is a mugwump? My teacher used this back in high school -won't say how long ago that was.

Answer 1

this is what i found

mug•wump

Pronunciation: (mug'wump"), [key]
—n.
1. a Republican who refused to support the party nominee, James G. Blaine, in the presidential campaign of 1884.
2. a person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue, esp. in politics; a person who is neutral on a controversial issue.

Answer 2

It's a term for someone who can't make his or her mind up, can't make a decision. It's called sitting on the fence. A mugwump has one end, his mug, on one side of the fence and his other, his rump, on the other side. It comes from a political period when "fence sitters" were referred to as "mugwumps".

Answer 3

According to my AP NSL Government book, a mugwump (or progressive) is "the faction in the republican party of the 1890's to the 1910's composed of reformers who opposed the use of patronage and party bosses and favored the leadership of experts. after 1910 they evolved into a nonpartisan "good government" movement that sought to open up the political system and curb the abuses of parties."

Answer 4

A mugwump is a fence-sitter, particularly in politics. It means to have one's mug on one side of the fence, and ones wump on the other. But I haven't seen the term used in years.

Answer 5

mugwump |ˈməgˌwəmp| noun a person who remains aloof or independent, esp. from party politics. • a Republican who in 1884 refused to support James G. Blaine, the Republican nominee for president. ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from Algonquian mugquomp ‘great chief.’

Answer 6

Lots of different definitions, from various political parties to a 60s rock group to one of the first computer games -- see link below.

If it's something your teacher used in high school, then maybe s/he is referring to the computer game.

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