Some friends of mine watch Survivor, others The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Me, I follow Sarah Palin stories, for exactly the same reason.
This week she announced the title of her book, “Going Rogue; an American Life.”
Why “rogue?” I thought maybe she got it confused with rouge, and planned to put henna highlights in her hair, or was thinking of the X-Men character who sucks the life energy out of people.
I was pretty confused until I looked up “rogue” in the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary.
Here is some information about the word:
It’s from 16th century cant, not to be confused with the French word rogue which apparently means arrogant.
Meanings include:
A beggar or vagabond, a dishonest, unprincipled person.
An inferior plant among seedlings.
An elephant driven away or living apart from the herd, of a savage or destructive nature. (Aha! It’s a Republican theme!)
An inexplicably aberrant result or phenomenon.
Something inexplicably faulty or defective.
Something lacking appropriate control, irresponsible or undisciplined.
Verb: to behave dishonestly, to swindle.
So, Mrs. Palin, my apologies. You picked exactly the right title!