jingo

Meanings

Noun

an extreme bellicose nationalist
One who supports policy favouring war.

Origin / Etymology

From the minced oath by jingo, which was used in a music hall song, written ca. 1878 by G. W. Hunt, that supported Britain's then belligerent attitude towards Russia. In this context, a euphemism for Jesus, influenced by the meaningless presto-jingo used by conjurors. A connection with the Basque jainko (“god”) has been suggested, but evidence is lacking.

Synonyms

chauvinist, flag-waver, hundred-percenter, jingoist, patrioteer

Scrabble Score: 13

jingo is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
jingo is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
jingo is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

jingo is a valid Words With Friends word