Legal Research

Define Hornswoggle

By Rebekah

In 1926, a Texas appellate court referred to the definition of the word “hornswoggle” in the Webster’s unabridged dictionary and held that, absent appearances to the contrary, a jury could be assumed to attach the proper meaning to the word [U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Rochester, 281 S.W. 306 (Tex. Civ. App. 1926)]. This case is the only one indexed in Words and Phrases that explores the meaning of “hornswoggle” – and I checked the pocket part, too. Words and Phrases indexes cases that involve a court’s interpretation of, well, words and phrases. You can find it on the first floor of the library on Range 132. Other conversational words that have turned up in a judicial context include flim-flam, hoodwink, puffery, and baloney.
[RKM]

Full post as published by Cocky Law Blawg on October 07, 2010 (boomark / email).