Mayor: Add Pittsburgh term ‘jagoff’ to dictionary
Notice: Undefined variable: article_ad_placement3 in /usr/web/cs-washington.ogdennews.com/wp-content/themes/News_Core_2023_WashCluster/single.php on line 128
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh’s mayor is supporting an online effort to get a popular local term listed in the dictionary.
Bill Peduto recorded a public service announcement Tuesday encouraging residents to sign a petition to add “jagoff” to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.
Peduto describes the jab as a “term of endearment,” despite its often derisive usage, and jokingly traced its etymology to a fictional early founder of Pittsburgh named Ebeneezer Jagoff.
Peduto says “jagoff” is actually derived from jagger bush, a local term for thorny shrubbery.
He says it’s not dirty or derogatory but a way for Pittsburgh residents “to let somebody know that you’re really getting under their skin.”
Petition founder John Chamberlin says “jagoff” is a quintessential component of Pittsburghese and deserves a proper dictionary home.
Sign the petition at yajagoff.com.