jingo

American  

[jing-goh] / ˈdʒɪŋ goʊ /

noun

PLURAL

jingoes

1. a person who professes their patriotism loudly and excessively, favoring vigilant preparedness for war and an aggressive foreign policy; bellicose chauvinist.

2. English History.  a Conservative supporter of British Prime Minister Disraeli's policy in Turkey during the period 1877–78.

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adjective

1. of jingoes.

2. characterized by jingoism.

idioms

1. by jingo!  (an exclamation used to emphasize the truth or importance of a foregoing statement, or to express astonishment, approval, etc.).

   I know you can do it, by jingo!

jingo British  

/ ˈdʒɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a loud and bellicose patriot; chauvinist

2. jingoism

3. an exclamation of surprise

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Other Word Forms

• jingoish adjective

Etymology

Origin of jingo

First recorded in 1660–70; originally conjurer's call hey jingo! “appear! come forth!” (opposed to hey presto! hasten away!), taken into general use in the phrase by Jingo, euphemism for by God; chauvinistic sense from by Jingo in political song supporting use of British forces against Russia in 1878

Example Sentences

“I’m singing about ‘looking out for the jingoes and heathens’ or ‘another black kid shot in town’.”

From The Guardian

“High jingo was an untouchable and dad was exactly that. He was untouchable. … He was the go-to guy for abortions, which of course was a felony back then.”

From Fox News

Read between the lines, people, and learn the jingo.

From New York Times

To some extent, Trump’s focus on “making America great again” – a political jingo that in itself contains an element of criticism of the state of the nation – chimes with the UN’s concern about extreme poverty.

From The Guardian

This message, and the nationalist jingo that Trump has married to it, has been a long time coming.

From Time