Jingo sounds like bingo and although there are links between the origins of these words they have different meanings. Bingo is a game that developed from what is called lotto or lottery (this word itself has an interesting history). People who participated in the game used to shout ‘Bingo!’ when they got a line of numbers on a card that corresponded to balls with numbers being drawn from a spinning basket.

Jingo, like bingo, has been shouted out in the past. ‘By jingo’ was part of the chorus of MacDermott’s War Song written and composed by G.W. Hunt around 1878. This song was seen as commentary on Britain’s foreign affairs policies under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli’s Conservative Government. The song is an interesting insight into Britain’s attitude to war at that time.

Jingo appeared prior to this in an English translation of the works of French Renaissance writer François Rabelais. There are also some indications that it may have originated in the spell of a magician! All of these things, it would seem, have shaped the word’s meaning for us today.

Today, jingo means a supporter of a policy preferring war. Blustering patriot can be found in some dictionary definitions, suggesting perhaps an overzealous desire to engage in acts of war. When someone displays aggressive patriotism that might antagonise another nationality, people refer to this as jingoism. So, the question is, why would people act in a jingoistic way (after all, strip away nationality and we are all human)?

Adding ism to the end of jingo changes how the word looks. This is similar to other words ending with ism, for example, communism, baptism, alcoholism, postmodernism, etc. Taking the ism away from these words also changes the shape, context and sometimes meaning of them. This type of word deconstruction can be helpful in furthering our understanding of words, especially the intricate history of a word like jingo.

At the heart of jingoism is the attitude that people take toward their nationality, especially in comparison to other nations. Seeing a nation as better or worse than another is key to understanding the meaning of jingoism. With nearly 250 different nationalities in the world one can understand some disagreements emerging, but history tells us that disagreements lead to bigger disputes that can lead to war.

Jingoism, although a word now with negative connotations, is a good word to think about and discuss, as its meaning opens up the debate about nationality. The origin of this word—perhaps in the book of an ancient magician—is interesting and it would seem that history itself has shaped the actual meaning. How will this word change in another hundred years? How will it compare to other words ending in ism (and what actually is an ism and what are its origins)? Active discussion about jingoism can help people to evaluate how they see themselves in relation to others, and perhaps help reshape the word’s meaning for future generations.