Prickly expressions which are thought racist and should perhaps be avoided

I read this list of expressions in the news and thought...Hmmm! Is it important to know the mainly dark reasons behind some of these words and phrases which we use every day? Granted, many people in the comment section were very disgruntled that someone took the time to research the meanings and make them available to the public. They parried that someone is just looking for more reasons to pander and ponder racism.

Some people made the argument that times have changed and the expressions now have taken on a different meaning, so it is ok to use them in modern contexts. No matter why we still use them, it does not change the facts (allegedly) of their origins and the disrespect which they were meant to convey.

A smaller, appreciative, majority/minority found the information helpful, educational and eye-opening.

Most of these are obviously disrespectful and racist, some are questionably so, yet I am fascinated and curious to know of the hopefully, true origins of phrases I may have used out of context.

Here they are...You be the judge:

Peanut gallery

The expression “no more comments from the peanut gallery” is often used to signify that the speaker has had enough of hecklers or unwelcome commentary. But it’s actually a Civil War-era racist expression referring to the cheapest seats in an auditorium, where cheap peanuts were sold as snacks and where black people were required to sit.

Uppity

These days many people seem to think the word “uppity” just indicates someone who’s snobby, but in fact it is a racist expression that was historically used by people in the southern U.S. to refer to a black person who didn’t know their place in society (which was considered to be below that of any white person).

Hooligan

Now understood to mean “troublemaker” (especially applied to rowdy European football fans), the word hooligan is believed to come from an Irish surname, either Houlihan or O'Hooligan, and was used by the British in the Victorian era as slang for a disreputable Irishman who caused trouble. Characters named Hooligan were stereotypically portrayed in vaudeville shows as drunken, quarreling Irish ruffians.

Gringo

This word is used by people in Latin America to refer to white people or foreigners, and not always in a nice way. While opinions differ on whether the word is truly offensive, it can certainly be taken as such, and shouldn’t be used in casual conversation.

Gyp/Gypsy

Gypsy is not an ethnic group but rather a racist slur for people of Romani origin. It originated when white Europeans mistook the Romani people for Egyptians because of their darker colouring. They have been discriminated against for centuries (and still are) and are often unfairly labelled thieves, hence the racist expression “getting gypped” to refer to being cheated.

Sold down the river

People now say this to mean that they feel betrayed or cheated, but it’s actually a racist expression stemming from the fact that in the 19th century, American slave owners would often sell “troublesome” or “misbehaving” slaves to another plantation located further down the Mississippi river, where the living conditions were harsher.

Eeenie, meenie, minee, moe

The children’s rhyming song containing this line has an ugly history you may not know about: in the next line, “catch a tiger by the toe,” the word “tiger” used to be an extremely racist slur. The song may refer to the process of selecting a slave or what was done to punish one who ran away.

Long time no see

Similar to “no can do” and its mocking of Chinese immigrants’ English, the phrase “long time no see” as an alternative to “I haven’t seen you in a long time” began as a racist expression making fun of the pidgin English spoken by native Americans. So classy, right?

No can do

This short, snappy phrase, often used as a lighthearted negative response to a request, originated as a racist way for people to mock the broken English spoken by Chinese immigrants to America in the early 20th century. So maybe take the extra second and say “I’m sorry, I can’t do that” instead.

Eskimo

The actual meaning of esquimaux is “one who nets snowshoes,” an accurate way to describe people living in the Arctic region, but many of them consider Eskimo a derogatory term that racist colonizers translated as “eaters of raw meat” (basically, barbarians) or “excommunicati” (the excommunicated, or people who’ve been removed from the Catholic church).

Mumbo jumbo

This expression derives from the name of Maamajomboo, a character often portrayed by a male dancer in West African Mandinka cultural ceremonies. British explorers in the 1730s got his name wrong and found him terrifying and grotesque and the rituals meaningless, hence the derogatory use of the name to indicate that something is “unintelligible nonsense.”

Off the reservation

Used to imply that someone is out of line or not adhering to the rules of a group to which they belong (like a political party), this expression comes from the fact that Native Americans were confined to reservations (parcels of land allocated to them) and their movements restricted by the U.S. government against their will.

Chinese whispers

This phrase, more common in the U.K., refers to inaccurate gossip or rumors, and is often applied to the children’s game we also know as Telephone. It probably got its name from the idea that Chinese was a difficult language to understand or translate. It’s not particularly malicious, but it’s not necessarily nice, either.

Grandfather clause

The term “grandfather clause” means an old law continues to apply in certain situations instead of the new law. Unfortunately, the original grandfather clause was used in the American South to deny black people the right to vote, stating that only people who could vote before 1866 and their descendants were exempt from educational, property, or tax requirements for voting.

Ghetto

In ancient Venice, the ghetto was the area where Jewish people lived, so using this word to describe a neighborhood or area as poor, low-class, or dangerous implies that the speaker thinks the minorities or racialized groups living there are all of those things as well.

Thug

Although this word originated in India and meant “ruffian” or “troublemaker,” it’s now used primarily in a negative context by white people to label younger black people, particularly men, as violent, irrational, untrustworthy, or gang members. The label is often applied based on how the person dresses, looks, or speaks, rather than by their actions. (I disagree in part on this explanation. Basically, any shade of gangs etc are called thugs).

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Sounds cute and cuddly, like the teddy bear in the nursery rhyme, right? Not so fast: British colonial soldiers in the 1800s used this racist expression to refer mockingly to East African nomads, who had curly hair and dark skin, and its use later expanded to describe people from other areas, such as Papua New Guinea and Sudan.

Inner city

It may sound like a simple geographic reference—“he’s from the inner city”—but in America, this phrase is often used as coded language to describe African-Americans, with the implication of laziness, poverty, criminality, and dependence on welfare. In other words, it’s racist, judgmental, and unkind.

Tipping point

Though it began as a phrase that meant what it said—the point at which something began to tip—in 1950s America it took on a new, racist meaning: the point at which a certain percentage of black families moved into a neighborhood, thereby initiating the departure of white families to other areas.

Jew him down

Anti-Semitism, unfortunately, certainly hasn’t disappeared since the horrific events of the Second World War. The phrase “Jew (him or her) down” is still used to refer to bargaining with someone for a lower price; it comes from very old, offensive stereotypes of Jewish people as shrewd moneylenders who always haggled over the cost of something.

Oriental

The word itself means “Eastern,” but the problem with referring to people from East Asia as “Oriental” is that it implies that they are different: not Western, not white, and somehow “lesser than.” East Asians have never referred to themselves as Orientals: nor should anyone, when it’s just as simple to say Asian or their specific nationality.

Cotton-picking

“Just a cotton-picking minute!” Even Bugs Bunny used this expression, but its history is bleak. Because cotton was picked almost exclusively by black slaves in the southern United States, many people believe it to be a derogatory term. It may or may not be, but enough people consider it offensive that it’s best not to use it.

Chop chop!

This phrase, meaning “hurry up!” comes from the Cantonese word kap, or “make haste.” It is generally used condescendingly to someone the speaker considers to be below them in status, which only worsens the fact that it’s making fun of the pidgin English spoken by Chinese immigrants. (Debatable)

Indian giver

This racist expression, meaning someone who takes back a gift or demands something in return, arises from European settlers’ misunderstanding of the native American barter system. Europeans only used money for trade, and took offense when they discovered native Americans expected something in return for items settlers believed had been given to them as gifts.

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Disclaimer: Article's 24 points is by Alice Mcmillan, Espresso.