ENGLISH
REFERENCE

michigander

n.
michi·gan·der Humorous
Synonyms
Origin

] Attributed to Abraham Lincoln, in a speech of July 27, 1848, as pejorative reference to Lewis Cass, Michigan politician: : There is one entire article of the sort I have not discussed yet; I mean the military tale you Democrats are now engaged in dovetailing onto the great Michigander. Ostensibly coined as a blend of Michigan + gander (“male goose, simpleton”) (punning on “tale” and “(dove)tail(ing)”). Alternatively from and/or later reanalyzed as Michigan + -d- (epenthetic) + -er (“resident of”).

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