These Words and Phrases Are of Racist Origin.
The English language is constantly evolving, new words and phrases spread among us like an infection: we hear something, and then we say it. The problem is that we don’t always wonder if we should. Because of this, the original meaning of some derogatory and hateful expressions is lost in time. Here are some commonly used examples.
Gyp or Gypped, Jip or Jipped
In modern parlance, this means that you are being tricked, deceived, or taken advantage of, but this applies very negatively to a very specific group of people. The word comes from the already offensive term “gypsy”, which is often used to describe the gypsies inappropriately and inaccurately. When the Gypsies moved from India to Europe, they were mistaken for Egyptians because of their dark skin, so they were dubbed “Gypsies.” Somewhere along the way, people came to the conclusion that all “gypsies” are thieves and swindlers, hence the term “gypsy” was born.
“I can’t” and “Haven’t seen each other for a long time”
Of all the phrases on this page, you most likely once said this. It would be surprising to see these seemingly harmless phrases on this list, but they were actually born out of sneaky mockery. In the early 20th century, the phrase “no can do” and other broken English phrases were a way to ridicule the way Chinese immigrants and other ESL people tried to communicate. The same is true with the phrase “long time no see”, which was used to mock Native American pidgin speaking patterns in English.
“Paddy Van”
This is a popular term for those large police cars that can hold multiple arrested persons. You usually see them at large gatherings and events. If part of the term “Paddy” hasn’t warned you yet (“Paddy” is a semi-pejorative slang word for Irish), then “paddy wagon” refers to people of Irish descent in a negative sense. The term probably originated in America in the early 20th or late 19th century for one of two reasons . Either it was because many of the police officers were Irish at the time and drove these vans, or, more likely, because so many people of Irish descent were loaded into these vans.
“No booking”
Today people use this phrase to describe someone who deviates from what is expected of them. Basically, if you are not doing what you should be doing, someone might tell you that “you are not on the reservation right now.” However, even in the 19th century, it had a completely different and specific meaning. As NPR’s Key Maleski explains , the phrase literally referred to Native Americans violating strict US government regulations and leaving their reservation territory without proper permission. Local authorities sent telegrams with messages like: “Currently, the Indians do not leave the reservation without permission” or “We have found a group of Indians living off the reservation and are planning to arrest them.”
“Impudence”
This word is often used to describe someone arrogant or arrogant, such as “Don’t be offended by us,” but it has a rather disturbing story. It was originally a racist term used in the American South to refer to black people who do not know their place. This was usually part of a two-word descriptor, which I’m sure you can guess on your own.
“Bug”
You are more likely to hear this term in the UK than in states where it is a complete curse, but it is still worth knowing about. The word comes from a heretical religious sect in the Middle Ages called “Bulgarus” , which practiced sodomy. Over time, this term turned into “Bulgarian”, and then into “fagot”. In fact, this word means “Bulgarian sodomite”.
“Sold down the river”
People say something like, “You sold me down the river!” when they screwed up. This phrase now means to be deceived or betrayed, for example, when someone is taken advantage of. But the origin of this phrase has to do with the slave trade in 19th century America. Slave owners often sold troubled slaves (usually men), literally sending them down the Mississippi River to plantations with harsher conditions. So when you say, “You sold me down the river!” You say, “You treated me like a badly behaved slave,” which is certainly not accurate.
If you didn’t know that these expressions were racist in origin and have used them in the past, that’s okay. But now that you know, rethink your native language and find new ways to express those feelings. Better yet, take it as a reminder to always think about what you say in the future. Before repeating what you have heard, do your own terminology research and develop a desire to understand the words that come out of your mouth and flow through your fingers.