Michigander
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A native or resident of the state of Michigan in the United States of America. US
- 2 a native or resident of Michigan wordnet
- 3 In particular, a man from Michigan, contrasted with a Michigoose (“woman from Michigan”). humorous, uncommon
"Where is the little Michigander or Michigoose who is plugging along, so contentedly ensconced in his bi-valve surroundings as not to be touched by even an echo of the great state meeting of his profession?"
Example
More examples"Where is the little Michigander or Michigoose who is plugging along, so contentedly ensconced in his bi-valve surroundings as not to be touched by even an echo of the great state meeting of his profession?"
Etymology
] Attributed to Abraham Lincoln, in a speech of July 27, 1848, as pejorative reference to Lewis Cass, Michigan politician: : There is one entire article of the sort I have not discussed yet; I mean the military tale you Democrats are now engaged in dovetailing onto the great Michigander. Ostensibly coined as a blend of Michigan + gander (“male goose, simpleton”) (punning on “tale” and “(dove)tail(ing)”). Alternatively from and/or later reanalyzed as Michigan + -d- (epenthetic) + -er (“resident of”).
Related phrases
More for "michigander"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.