Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 17:35:46 -0700

From: THOMAS CLARK tlc[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NEVADA.EDU

Subject: Re: P.S. re Offending Idioms



On Tue, 25 Oct 1994, Natalie Maynor wrote:



When I heard

"nigger rig," I heard it as one long, funny-sounding verb: niggerrig.

I can't remember now exactly how I discovered "nigger" in it. I think

maybe I repeated the word at home and my mother pointed out to me what

I was saying. Presumably I would have figured it out myself sooner or

later, but this brings up a question that I think was implicit in something

I said earlier in this discussion. I wonder how many offensive idioms

are kept alive by people who don't realize what they're saying.



Bingo! Natalie makes the point that young people often acquire forms,

the lexical history of which they are unaware.

It sucks. (no sexual connection made)

Brown nose. (no execretory connection made)

and

I also

remember hearing the expression "jew down" and not associating it with

Judaism.



Cheers,

tlc[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nevada.edu