mugwump

Meanings

Noun

• A (male) leader; an important (male) person.
• A person who stays neutral or non-committal; a fence sitter; also, a person who maintains an aloof and often self-important demeanour.

Verb

• To behave like a mugwump.
• To purport to stay aloof and independent, especially from party politics.

Origin

• The noun is borrowed from Massachusett mugquomp, mummugquomp. Folk etymology reinterpreted it as referring to a person who sat on the fence with their mug on one side and wump on the other, which influenced political cartoons during the 1884 United States presidential election.
• The verb is derived from the noun.