Woggle

Woggle (pronounced whog-al)

(1) In the scouting movement, a neckerchief clasp or slide, originally a loop or ring of leather.

(2) In dialect, an alternative spelling of waggle (archaic).

1921-1923: The origin is contested.  Some say it was a coining in Australian English, from the earlier US form boondoggle before being popularized by use in the fourteenth edition of Scouting for Boys (1929), by Lieutenant-General Lord Baden-Powell (1857–1941; founder of The Boy Scouts Association) and first published in 1908.  Boondongle (which existed also as boon dongle) was an Americanism with the same meaning.  The alternative history is that 1920 or 1921 the woggle was invented by Francis "Skipper" Gidney (1890-1928), chief of Gilwell scout camp in London where there still stands Gidney Cabin, now used as a training centre.  Woggle is a noun and woggled & woggling are verbs; the noun plural is woggles.

A classic scout woggle woven in leather (left), a leather woggle with convenient press-stud (centre) and a plastic “woggle” with the Scouting fleur-de-lis (right) which technically is a scarf ring but the term “woggle” tends to be applied if used for a scout's scarf.  Plastic “woggles” appeared as early as the 1960s.

Boondoggle in 1935 gained a second meaning when The New York Times decided it referred to “wasteful or pointless government activities”, the link to the Scout neckerchief accessory being the claim Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (FDR, 1882–1945, US president 1933-1945) administration was including in its “New Deal” (a series of public work projects and domestic programs) a scheme under which people were being employed to make the small leather braids.  A person labeled a boondoggler is thus “a person who boondoggles; a wastrel”.  The term “white elephant” has a similar meaning although its use has never been restricted to government spending.  In the 1960s, the term moondoggle emerged to describe a particular strain of the boondongle: The space program.  The word was a variant of boondongle and referenced the assertion the immense effort & expenditure being devoted to sending men to the moon was a waste of resources and something of no apparent use.  The origin of boondongle remains murky but may have been based on hornswoggle, first recorded in 1829 and also of unknown origin but believed to be a jocular coinage like the contemporary absquatulate.  Presumably the inspiration was horns + waggle with humorous faux ablaut or in combination with wobble, possibly influenced by the image of lassoed steers trying to escape by moving their head.  In slang, it means “to deceive, dupe or trick.

Scarf buckle (left), an unusual scarf triple ring (centre) and a scarf knot ring (right).

The term “woggle” is specific to scouting but in fashion, devices to tie or otherwise secure scarves are common and are described differently according to their design and function.  The most common are the (1) scarf ring (a circular or decorative ring through which the scarf is threaded, allowing for elegant draping or knotting), (2) scarf clip (a clip with a hinge that holds the scarf in place; these often feature decorative elements to complement the scarf), (3) scarf slide (a device with multiple openings or loops to weave the scarf through, providing various styling options), (4) scarf pin (a brooch or pin used to secure a scarf in place, used often by those wanting to maintain styling theme), (5) scarf buckle (a structured device, similar to a belt buckle, designed for threading and securing scarves and (6) scarf knot ring (a specialized device designed for creating knots, allowing a scarf to be secured in a number of shapes.

Not all scarf users secure their scarves: Lindsay Lohan tends to prefer hers looped or loose.

Men in woggles: Leadership of the Boy Scouts of America, National Scout Jamboree, Washington DC, 1937.  The scouts have always been in the avant-garde of fashion.

Girl scouts: The yellow line indicates the height of the obstacle which would be set for their “woggle hopping”.

“Woggle hopping” is a rule in scouting, used in the physical training program and first documented in England in 1947.  It is a form of high jump which states a scout should be able to jump over an object at the height of their woggle, a form of “equalization” similar to the old rule in schoolboy rugby whereby teams were formed on the basis of weight rather than age.