What’s that? It’s Wednesday again? Well I’ll be darned: it’s time for Wacky Word Wednesdays, a weekly celebration of some of the wackiest and most interesting words from around the world.

Today’s wacky word is: jiggery-pokery.

The definition from Dictionary.com:

jig·ger·y-pok·er·y [jig–uh-ree-poh-kuh-ree] -noun Chiefly British 1. trickery, hocus-pocus; fraud; humbug.

2. sly, underhanded action.

It comes from a combination of the Scottish words jouk, referring to an elusive movement (like ducking or dodging), and pawk, meaning “to trick.” Naturally, you need to add the English suffix -ery, which denotes the collective quality of a given noun or action. Now throw in a couple centuries of phonological change, and “joukery-pawkery” becomes the much-loved and sadly underused jigger-pokery.

Why did we choose this word for Wacky Word Wednesdays? Simply because it’s fun to say—it practically dances off the tongue. Not only that, but it sounds a thousand times better in a fake British accent!

Give it a try: JIGGERY-POKERY!

For your reference, here are two examples of jiggery-pokery used in a sentence:

Jason stuffed a plum in his cheek, pulled down his upper lip and, in an impressive portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, lambasted the unwholesome fellow for his jiggery-pokery at the Euchre table.

Nigel Hazelwick was furious at the disgruntled pastry chef who, in a hostile act of jiggery-pokery, purposely left out both the nooks and crannies in his morning crumpet.

Have you been up to any jiggery-pokery lately? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

In the meantime, watch your back—and keep your eyes peeled for next week’s edition of Wacky Word Wednesdays!

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