Mayor: Add Pittsburgh term ‘jagoff’ to dictionary

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh’s mayor is supporting an online effort to get a popular local term listed in the dictionary.

Bill Peduto recorded a public service announcement Tuesday encouraging residents to sign a petition to add “jagoff” to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary.

Peduto describes the jab as a “term of endearment,” despite its often derisive usage, and jokingly traced its etymology to a fictional early founder of Pittsburgh named Ebeneezer Jagoff.

Peduto says “jagoff” is actually derived from jagger bush, a local term for thorny shrubbery.

He says it’s not dirty or derogatory but a way for Pittsburgh residents “to let somebody know that you’re really getting under their skin.”

Petition founder John Chamberlin says “jagoff” is a quintessential component of Pittsburghese and deserves a proper dictionary home.

His petition is at yajagoff.com.