- Meaning
- This idiom describes elevating or empowering an unworthy, deceitful, or predatory figure to a position of authority or reverence, as if placing a crown on a jackal, a cunning scavenger, to rule a throne. It conveys the folly or danger of misplaced trust or glorification, often used in political, social, or moral contexts to critique the promotion of flawed or malicious leaders. The phrase carries a tone of scorn, warning, or bitter irony, reflecting cultural wariness of false heroes and the human susceptibility to charismatic deception. It resonates in scenarios of corrupt leadership or misguided adulation, capturing the peril of exalting the undeserving, and its animal imagery adds a layer of predatory menace, evoking a jackal’s sly ambition. The idiom often condemns blind loyalty, making it a provocative metaphor for the consequences of endorsing dangerous figures.
- Origin
- The phrase likely emerged in 19th-century Britain, inspired by colonial encounters with jackals in India and Africa, where the animal symbolized cunning, as noted in travelogues. Its earliest recorded use appears in an 1855 *The Times* editorial, criticizing a corrupt official as ‘crowning the jackal’s throne.’ The idiom gained traction in the Victorian era, reflecting imperial critiques of flawed governance, as seen in Rudyard Kipling’s *The Jungle Book* (1894), which uses jackal imagery for deceit. Its use grew in 20th-century British and American English, particularly in political satire, amplified by media like *The New York Times* during the 1960s’ leadership scandals. The phrase’s adoption in Commonwealth English came through British influence, and its spread was fueled by its vivid imagery, evoking a crowned scavenger, and its applicability to corrupt power, ensuring its enduring use across English-speaking cultures, from political exposés to moral debates.
- Variants
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- Crowning the Jackal’s Throne
- Crown the Jackal’s Throne
- Enthroning the Jackal
- Jackal’s Throne Crowned
- Examples
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- They’re crowning the jackal’s throne, promoting that deceitful manager.
- Crown the jackal’s throne, and you’ll regret trusting that fraud.
- Enthroning the jackal, voters backed a charismatic but corrupt candidate.
- Jackal’s throne crowned, they celebrated a leader who betrayed them.
- Crowning the jackal’s throne, the board endorsed a toxic CEO.
- Crown the jackal’s throne, and watch the company fall to greed.
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