Editorial: Mr. Webster: Don’t be a jagoff

Whether you’ve heard Pittsburgh Dad say it or a passerby on the street, the term “jagoff” is a Pittsburgh tradition. If you haven’t heard this word, you may be soon reading it in the dictionary.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the creator of the website yajagoff.com has started a petition to get the uniquely Pittsburgh-ese word recognized by Webster’s Dictionary. As petition developer John Chamberlin, 51, from Kennedy Township, mentions in the Trib’s report, “If hashtag, selfie and tweep (all words added to the latest version) deserve inclusion, so does jagoff.”

Chamberlin is not alone in thinking this. He has recruited the help of Mayor Bill Peduto. The mayor has been enthusiastic in his support for the petition: “It definitely deserves to be in the dictionary … A jagoff is a beloved word, and Pittsburghers deserve to have it enshrined by Mr. Webster.”

Peduto also provided an official definition: “A term of endearment that is expressed by Pittsburghers to those that poke at us. Derived from the legendary jagger bush, it is not a dirty term or derogatory term, but a way for ’Burghers to let somebody know that you’re really getting under their skin.”

If this inspiring effort doesn’t get you excited, perhaps another collaboration will. According to the Trib, Chamberlin has recruited Pittsburgh’s 3 Guys Optical Center to join the fight. The center will make a $1 donation per signature to the Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Foundation. 

According to its website, PEMF.net, the foundation was created in 1985 to “fund educational and research projects, primarily initiated by The Center for Emergency Medicine.” In more than 30 years, more than 175 research grants have been provided to researchers by the nonprofit organization.

Emergency medicine research is integral to the region’s and country’s healthcare system. Those concerned about public welfare and medical innovation must support Chamberlin’s measure. Regional pride and medical research are two areas for which Pittsburgh and its universities should be proud. Let us continue this trend.

So don’t be a jagoff, and sign the petition!