Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



May 30, 2024
This week’s theme
Terms formed from names

This week’s words
Hooray Henry
nervous Nelly
flash Harry
Aunt Sally
good-time Charlie

Aunt Sally
Image: Whiteley’s General Catalogue, 1911

Aunt Sally
Boxed Aunt Sally Fairground Game
Photo: Bonhams

Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

Aunt Sally

PRONUNCIATION:
(ant SAL-ee)

MEANING:
noun:
1. An object of criticism.
2. Someone or something set up as an easy target for criticism in order to deflect it from others.

ETYMOLOGY:
From aunt, from Old French ante, from Latin amita (father’s sister), diminutive of amma (mother) + Sally, a form of the name Sarah. Earliest documented use: 1858.

NOTES:
The term originated from a fairground game in the mid-1800s. The game involved throwing sticks at a human figurine to dislodge a pipe from her face. The figurine depicted a Black woman and was named Sally. This was a common name for women enslaved in the US. For example, a woman enslaved by Thomas Jefferson was called Sally Hemings. Over time, the figurine has evolved into a more abstract “doll”.

USAGE:
“Yet John Howard seems unable to ever see trouble coming. He is an Aunt Sally in a government of learners.”
Alan Ramsey; The Travel Club Genie Is Out; Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Oct 4, 1997.

“‘Please wait, Aunt,’ Sally said hopefully.”
Reem Bassiouney (Translation: Osman Nusairi); The Pistachio Seller; Syracuse University Press; 2013.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Speculation is perfectly all right, but if you stay there you've only founded a superstition. If you test it, you've started a science. -Hal Clement, science fiction author (30 May 1922-2003)

What they say

“A.Word.A.Day, a rare exception to the usual blight on my mailbox”
Read more

The Wall Street Journal


More articles

Anu Garg on words

“To understand a word, we need to learn where it was born, what paths it took to reach where it is today, and how it has changed along the way.”

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2025 Wordsmith