Synonyms for spook at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. The true origin of the word spic, the racist insult aimed at hispanics as hate incidents are on the rise and antiimmigrant rhetoric intensifies, the word spic has come into focus. The derogatory racial sense of black person is attested from 1940s, perhaps from notion of dark skin being difficult to see at night. Unless health reform is concretely connected to the values and interests of a critical number of these groups they will continue to spook an ambivalent public.
One theory is that it refers to the cracked corn that was a major part of the diet of poor southern whites. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial epithet for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. Cracker definition and meaning collins english dictionary. If you would like to suggest a term or an update to an existing one. Today, cracker is often used as a derogatory term for a white person for obvious reasons. Spook speak dictionary a glossary of terms and slang. Naval method of indicating the time of day aboard ship, usually over the 1mc. What does spook mean definition of spook word finder. The super spook is my favorite top water muskie bait for the spring. Cracker term cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a term for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. The term is, indeed, a somewhat derogatory term for white people. Information and translations of spook in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Honestly, i think there are people who go out of their.
A cracker is a thin, crisp biscuit which is often eaten with cheese. Another theory is that the term refers to whips that crackers used to drive slaves or cattle. Spook is a slang term for an undercover intelligence agent or spy. After youre done, brush up on some southern manners and learn how to pronounce these commonly mispronounced arkansas names.
What if you pee of your stand and a monster buck walks by and happens to spook from the smell. It is used with disparaging intent and is perceived. Black pilots trained at tuskegee institute during world war ii called themselves the spookwaffe. The 25yearold from wisconsin quickly came to be one of the top agents to come out of the spook. He who is infatuated with man leaves persons out of account so far as that infatuation extends, and floats in an ideal, sacred interest. This page explains what the slang term cracker means. I sure hope them spooks walkin by dont pluck a watermellon from my garden. Nazi germanys air force was called the luftwaffe so some people referred to the africanamerican tuskegee airmen as the spookwaffe, including the pilots themselves.
It can be used to designate any group of military personnel performing a similar function, like the signal corps or the medical corps. There are many diverse influences on the way that english is used across the world today. The term corps has a dual meaning in the armed services. For the purposes of this list, an ethnic slur is a term designed to insult others on the basis of race, ethnicity, or nationality. Slang a spy or secret agentorigin of spookdu, akin to german spuk 3. I think its very spooky sleeping in a dark and creaky house. Cracker barrel 1861 barrel full of sodacrackers for sale was such a common feature of old country stores that the phrase came to be used by 1905 as an adjective, emblematic of downhome ways and. Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a racial slur used against white people, used especially against poor rural whites in the southern united states. From cambridge english corpus these examples are from the cambridge english corpus and from sources on the web.
Thats the only time ive ever encountered it as a racist term. Cracker means something entirely different in florida. Improve your vocabulary with english vocabulary in use from cambridge. When the somewhat incompetent spook is told the real story they have tot ry and work together without getting blown up. However, its use parallels that of the word nigger in the united states. What is the origin of the slang word cracker answers. Its also anything that cracks, like a firecracker or a computer code cracker, or of. Offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a black person. Cracker was a derogatory term applied to these poor farmers from before the american revolution. It implies a person who lives in the utmost worst conditions and a person who no one really cares about. Jan 25, 2020 slang, dated, derogatory, ethnic slur a black person. With a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer. In many books, ive seen the word spook used to mean some kind of spy.
This database was created entirely from data gleaned off the net and via submissions from people like you and your parents. Would it make better naming logic if it was chins, or qins with reference to the qin dynasty. Spooks, a uk series broadcast from 2002 to 2011 called mi5 in some countries spooks. Word definitions in dictionaries longman dictionary of contemporary english, the collaborative international dictionary, wiktionary, douglas harpers etymology dictionary, wordnet, wikipedia, crossword dictionary. Til that the term spook was a popular slur for black.
Why doesnt cracker have the same weight as the nword. Whether youre a student, an educator, or a lifelong learner, can put you on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. It is used with disparaging intent and is perceived as.
This is where cia employees are sent or may go to to get both physical andor psychiatric treatment. Originally from the song gang control by leftover crack. Bells will only be rung as a single strike, or a closely spaced double strike, with a maximum of eight bells 4 sets of 2. The term is widely used in latin america and caribbean usually without suggesting any insult. Oms is the acronym slang for the cias office of medical services. Cracka spooks are probably supposed to mean ghosts fucked on crack.
Theres a philip roth novel about an academic who runs into trouble by referring to a black absentee student as a spook, meaning someone whos existence he doesnt really believe in. Brewing slang south african any pale or colourless alcoholic spirit. When used by black people, cracker can refer to a southern white racist, not necessarily poor or rural. Meaning instrument for crushing or cracking is from 1630s. I heard this place was crawling with spooks, some kind of weapon of mass destruction is being sold or something. Its also anything that cracks, like a firecracker or a computer code cracker, or of course, that thin, savory snack that cracks when you break it. Til that the term spook was a popular slur for black people during wii. Information and translations of spook in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on. Cracker is always disparaging and offensive when used to refer to a poor white person in the south.
Very old man sitting on his pourch enjoying a nice glass of lemonade. I just read a question on yahoo answers where a lady was saying her son said spooky in front of some african american ladies and she was worried they would be offended. Spooks definition of spooks by the free dictionary. Careful on this phone line, there could be spooks listening in. Where does the ethnic slur chink come from and why is. A derogatory term employed by balkan slavs croats, serbs, montenegrins and macedonians when referring to albanians.
These are some of the most common and not so common southern slang terms heard in arkansas and throughout the south. Origin americas mulatto is a term used to refer to a person who is born from one white parent. Various theories exists regarding this terms application to poor white southerners. Spook definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Commandment 11 a most important rule for a spook, thou shalt not get caught. The term came to be embraced colloquially by georgians as a source of humor. Code switch where does the slur cracker come from, anyway. Spooks, by marion brown from the album three for shepp 1966 spooks, by pryda from the single spooks do it.
The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the slangit team. Some sources say that black pilots reclaimed this derogatory nickname as a self referential term of pride. In that albanians use the word shiptar to addressdescribe one another, while taking insult from its. Spook definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. The only reason they do is because some jackasses, now there is a word that should have some weight to it, want the words to have weight. It is sometimes used in a neutral context in reference to a native of florida, georgia or texas see florida cracker, georgia cracker or texas cracker.
For example 2 sets of 2 bells, followed by a single bell. Jul 01, 20 with a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer. We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. Apr 08, 2020 sense of computer cracker, crack, cracking, were promoted in the 1980s as an alternative to hacker, by programmers concerned about negative public associations of hack, hacking creative computer coding. The term its a cracker came about during the 70s from a tv program called the comedians one them whos. It has been taken as an offensive and derogatory term to people of caucasian or european descent and is largely considered a slur in modern usage. A cracker is not a slave owner or overseer cracking a whip.
It is a farmers who raised only cracked products, such as wheat and corn. From observation, people who uses these terms to describe others dont tend to discriminate between countries of origin as long as they have an a. The term is generally considered archaic by some and inadvertently derogatory, especially in the africanamerican community. Target pulls from its shelves a toy labeled spook drop parachuters amid accusations of insensitivity and racism.
Spook is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms the free dictionary. Cracker slang article about cracker slang by the free. The true origin of the word spic, the racist insult. The term spook is an ethnic slur for african americans, albeit one that was less widely used compared to decades. Looking for online definition of spook or what spook stands for.
Coal cracker is from 1853 of persons, 1857 of machinery that breaks up mined coal. The southern slang dictionary will help you avoid confusion if you are planning to visit the south. Man, you see, is not a person, but an ideal, a spook. As an organizational element in the military, a corps is a unit made up of at least two divisions.
Seeing the police car outside the house really spooked them. Im from england and spooning is when a person male or female get down on a partners genitals front or rear and with their tongue lick them. A cracker is a xmas festive thing resembling a toilet roll covered with tissue and decorations the cracker has a small explosive which goes off when you pull it the cracker usually holds a paper hat,a token and a joke the joke is usually terrible hence the term a cracker of a joke. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates cnn.
214 398 1077 933 1155 54 511 307 1241 1151 299 169 1354 1418 581 970 544 157 1215 589 1469 1519 344 21 673 1192 1092 1171 772 418 837 732 1395 67 1335 508 418 290