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Everyday Life Political

Skullduggery

Noun.
1. Unscrupulous, deceptive behavior 2. A device used to trick
Alt Spelling: skulduggery
scullduggery, sculduggery
Plural: Skullduggaries

Skullduggery (spelled with either a “k” or “c” and/or two “l”s) comes from the Scottish word for adultry:  “sculdudrie”.  The word is used in modern parlance as a term for underhanded dealings or trickery, often political in nature.  Ex. The skullduggery that was Watergate.

The word Skullduggery has been used to title various things from a 1970s Burt Reynolds film to the University of Adelaide orientation week, established in 1896.  

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