'Quockerwodger is the word of our era': Shashi Tharoor’s latest vocabulary lesson comes with a political jab

A 19th-century English slang term, ‘quockerwodger’ originally referred to a wooden toy puppet - a jointed figure whose arms and legs jerk or dance when manipulated by strings.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday described ‘quockerwodger’ as the ‘word of our era’, adding that he thinks ‘our ruling party has spawned a few of these in the last dozen years.’ Tharoor as perhaps referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruling at the centre since 2014.

“Word of our era! I think our ruling party has spawned a few of these in the last dozen years…” Tharoor wrote on X sharing the word ‘quockerwodger’ and its meaning as an attachment.

“A political puppet, a person who is controlled by someone else and acts on their instructions,” the meaning of the word in the attachment read.

But what exactly does ‘quockerwodger’ mean?

A 19th-century English slang term, ‘quockerwodger’ originally referred to a wooden toy puppet - a jointed figure whose arms and legs jerk or dance when manipulated by strings.

Tharoor's exact reference in Sunday's post was not immediately known.

Political meaning?

The word later acquired a figurative political meaning: a person, particularly a politician, who lacks independent will and is controlled or directed by someone else.

In political usage, therefore, calling someone a ‘quockerwodger’ suggests that they are essentially a puppet politician, acting according to the instructions or wishes of another person rather than independently.

Tharoor, the Congress MP from Kerala and an accompalished author, has a widely celebrated command of the English language, known for his vast vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and sharp eloquence.

The former Union Minister frequently uses sophisticated, uncommon words that often prompt people to look up a dictionary, leading to viral internet moments and popular coinages which inspired his book Tharoorosaurus.

There have been exceptions through. Tharoor has made grammatical errors in recent past.

Tharoor makes grammatical error

Tharoor made an error while extending birthday greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. On September 17, Tharoor wrote a warm message for the PM but managed to jumble up his prepositions.

Instead of writing "on his 76th birthday," Tharoor's typo included the use of "in his 76th birthday" - an error that was quickly caught by social media users.

One of the users highlighted the mistake, stating that even Tharoor could make a mistake. "Shashi ji made a grammar mistake!!! Even if it is fat finger!!!" the user wrote.

Acknowledging the mistake, Tharoor replied: “Yea “on” his birthday became “in”. This happens all the time alas.”

Key Takeaways

• Tharoor's playful use of 'quockerwodger' highlights the importance of language in political discourse.
• Mistakes can make even the most eloquent speakers relatable and human.
• Understanding obscure words can enhance political literacy and encourage critical thinking about leaders.

About the Author

Gulam Jeelani is Political Desk Editor at LiveMint with over 16 years of experience covering national and international politics. Based in New Delhi, Jeelani delivers impactful political narratives through breaking stories, in-depth interviews, and analytical pieces at LiveMint since February 2024. The expertise in video production fuels his current responsibilities, which include curating content and conducting video interviews for an expanding digital audience.<br><br> Jeelani also travels during elections and key political events and has covered assembly elections in key states apart from national elections. He has previously worked with The Pioneer, Network18, India Today, News9Plus and Hindustan Times.<br><br> Jeelani’s tenure at LiveMint and previous experience at print and digital newsrooms have honed his skills in creating compelling text and video stories, explainers, and analysis that resonate with a diverse viewership.<br><br> Before moving to New Delhi in 2015, Jeelani was based in Uttar Pradesh, where he worked for five years as a reporter. In 2018, Jeelani was one of the two Indian journalists selected for the Alfred Friendly Fellowship in the US. There, he attended training workshops on reporting and data journalism, and he was attached to the Minneapolis Star Tribune in Minnesota, where he worked as a reporter.<br><br> Jeelani is a Bachelor's in Chemistry and holds a Masters Degree in journalism and mass communication from Aligarh Muslim University. Outside work, he enjoys poetry, cricket and movies.

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