It seems that our foreign secretary hasn't properly done his research about Harry Potter.
SEE ALSO: 'Harry Potter and Bhangra Paa Le (2020) Full Hindi Moviethe Cursed Child' gets the most Olivier Award nominations in historyIn a bid to discredit Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ahead of snap elections next month, the well-spoken Boris Johnson called Corbyn a "mutton-headed mugwump":
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
That prompted basically everyone in the UK to search for its meaning on Google:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
So what is a mugwump?
According to Oxford Dictionary, a mugwump is a person who remains aloof or independent, especially from party politics. The word originated from an Algonquian word meaning "war leader."
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Some people alleged Johnson took inspiration from Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Others pointed to Naked Lunchby William Burroughs, in which mugwumps are a predatory, alien species:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
However, it's in the world of Harry Potterthat the word takes a totally different meaning.
Fans of the J.K. Rowling's saga were quick to stress on Twitter that Supreme Mugwump is the title of the head of the International Confederation of Wizards:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The first appointed Supreme Mugwump was Pierre Bonaccord. However, his appointment was contested by Warlocks in Lichtenstein "due to his opinions on stopping Troll-hunting and rights for Trolls".
Albus Dumbledore was also appointed Supreme Mugwump, but was dismissed from his position after the Ministry of Magic rejected his position that Lord Voldemort had returned.
Dumbledore was restored as a member of the Confederation after the Ministry's acceptance of Voldemort's return, but not as Supreme Mugwump.
However, if you're thinking that Corbyn could be well-suited to be a socialist Dumbledore, think twice because J.K. doesn't agree. In a tweet from August last year, she rejected the comparison:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Featured Video For You
This NYU student went undercover as a worker in a Chinese iPhone factory
Topics Harry Potter JK Rowling