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