Snollygoster

Snollygoster is a noun that refers to a clever, shrewd person. Coming from German, our word of the day was imported into English in the mid 19th century. It refers to a screwed, clever person, but almost always as an insult. Here’s an example: The senator may have been a pleasant man, but he could be quite a snollygoster when he needed to be. The world of politics is difficult to navigate without some compromise of principles.