As a former English teacher, I’m always interested in word origins. Googled “rigamarole” and found this interesting history of the word: In the Middle Ages, the term Rageman or Ragman referred to a game in which a player randomly selected a string attached to a roll of verses and read the selected verse. The roll was called a Ragman roll after a fictional king purported to be the author of the verses. By the 16th century, ragman and ragman roll were being used figuratively to mean “a list or catalog.” Both terms fell out of written use, but ragman roll persisted in speech, and in the 18th century it resurfaced in writing as rigmarole, with the meaning “a succession of confused, meaningless, or foolish statements.” In the mid-19th century rigmarole (also spelled rigamarole, reflecting its common pronunciation) acquired its most recent sense, “a complex and ritualistic procedure.”
When I was a teacher, a student would tell me that they didn’t need all that school stuff because they were going to be a professional athlete (or something). I would smile and say, “Not with your work ethic.”
Ubintold over 4 years ago
So, how do you rig a marole?
HappyDog/ᵀʳʸ ᴮᵒᶻᵒ ⁴ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵘⁿ ᵒᶠ ᶦᵗ Premium Member over 4 years ago
I thought it was Rigamarole. That’s more fun to say, anyway.
dlkrueger33 over 4 years ago
As a former English teacher, I’m always interested in word origins. Googled “rigamarole” and found this interesting history of the word: In the Middle Ages, the term Rageman or Ragman referred to a game in which a player randomly selected a string attached to a roll of verses and read the selected verse. The roll was called a Ragman roll after a fictional king purported to be the author of the verses. By the 16th century, ragman and ragman roll were being used figuratively to mean “a list or catalog.” Both terms fell out of written use, but ragman roll persisted in speech, and in the 18th century it resurfaced in writing as rigmarole, with the meaning “a succession of confused, meaningless, or foolish statements.” In the mid-19th century rigmarole (also spelled rigamarole, reflecting its common pronunciation) acquired its most recent sense, “a complex and ritualistic procedure.”
Bwahahaha! over 4 years ago
No it isn’t, you blonde penguin. You’re insane
Alberta Oil Premium Member over 4 years ago
Brats.. tidy home is not of his doing so he is cheating. Betty would do well to dump whole lot of rigmarole on him.
Scoutmaster77 over 4 years ago
When I was a teacher, a student would tell me that they didn’t need all that school stuff because they were going to be a professional athlete (or something). I would smile and say, “Not with your work ethic.”
cabalonrye over 4 years ago
You don’t need the rigmarole as mom did it all while you did nothing.
mountainclimber over 4 years ago
rigamarole – a set of confused and meaningless statements, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk