Mugwump

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  mugwump \mug"wump`\, n. [Cf. Algonquin mugquomp a chief.]
     1. A bolter from the Republican party in the national
        election of 1884; an Independent. [Political Cant, U.S.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A person who is undecided about an issue, especially a


        political one; a person who takes a neutral stance on an
        issue; a fence-sitter.
        [PJC] Mugwumpery

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Mugwump
       n 1: someone who bolted from the Republican Party during the U.S.
            presidential election of 1884
       2: a neutral or uncommitted person (especially in politics)
          [syn: {independent}, {fencesitter}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  79 Moby Thesaurus words for "mugwump":
     Fabian policy, Micawberism, Milquetoast, anythingarian, apostate,
     backslider, backwardness, big boy, big chief, big shot, bigwig,
     bolter, collaborationist, collaborator, convert, defector,
     deserter, dilatoriness, fence-sitter, fifth columnist, free lance,
     free spirit, free trader, freethinker, heavyweight, hesitation,
     high-muck-a-muck, hold-off, independent, individualist,
     isolationist, jellyfish, latitudinarian, laxness, leader, liberal,
     libertarian, libertine, lion, nabob, neuter, neutral, nonpartisan,
     nothingarian, procrastination, proselyte, quisling, recidivist,
     recreant, remissness, renegade, renegado, renegate, reversionist,
     rugged individualist, runagate, schismatic, seceder, secessionist,
     separatist, shilly-shally, slackness, slowness, stall,
     strikebreaker, swing vote, temporization, tergiversant,
     tergiversator, third force, third world, traitor, turnabout,
     turncoat, turntail, uncommitted voter, waverer, weakling,
     wobbler
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  MUGWUMP, n.  In politics one afflicted with self-respect and addicted
  to the vice of independence.  A term of contempt.