Nigger in the woodpile
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"Nigger in the woodpile" or "nigger in the fence" is a figure of speech originating in the United States meaning "some fact of considerable importance that is not disclosed—something suspicious or wrong".[1]
Commonly used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its usage has since drastically declined owing to its use of the
Origin
The phrase means an unknown factor, something that causes things to turn out differently than you would think. Woodpiles used to be stacked loosely with spaces, to avoid rot (see illustration). Natural hiding places for (supposedly)lazy colored folk to take a nap. And be an unsuspected witness to whatever’s going on nearby.
Another theory notes that the "fence" and "woodpile" variants developed about the same time in the period of 1840–1850,
Another possible origin comes from the practice of transporting pulpwood on special railroad cars. In the era of slavery, the pulpwood cars were built with an outer frame with the wood being stacked inside in moderately neat rows and stacks. However, given the nature of the cars, it was possible to smuggle persons in the pile itself, possibly giving rise to the term.[citation needed]
An 1886 article in the
Usage
The idiom was once common in literature and film, and has also appeared in musical lyrics.
An American film comedy titled A Nigger in the Woodpile was released in 1904.[7] Other silent films used the phrase on intertitles.
A visual gag in the Looney Tunes animated cartoon Porky's Railroad from 1937 refers to the phrase.[8]
In a 1936 Perry Mason novel reissued in 1988, The Case of the Stuttering Bishop, Mason says, "And, mind you, unless there is a nigger in the woodpile somewhere, the woman the bishop is inquiring about on the manslaughter business is the mother of the Brownley girl."[9]
In an Agatha Christie novel, They Do It With Mirrors, Inspector Curry, who is investigating the murder of Christian Gulbrandsen, asks Miss Marple, "Who's the nigger in the woodpile? G.I. husband?" (Miss Marple Omnibus, volume 2, Harper Collins Publishers)
In “My Little Chickadee “ (1940) W.C. Fields gets past the censors by stating “It appears an Ethiopian has gotten into the fuel supply.”
Contemporary use by public figures
The phrase declined in use during the 20th century, and now its occasional use by public figures has often been followed by controversy and apology. Examples include:
During Italia 90 coverage on BBC Sport, Sir Geoff Hurst, in discussion with Bob Wilson, used the expression whilst sitting next to Garth Crooks.[10][11]
In 1994, judge
In July 2008, the leader of the
In July 2017, the phrase was again used by Conservative Party politician
In 2018, it was revealed that
In 2019, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) ruled that radio station 2GB breached the Commercial Radio Code of Practice when the broadcaster Alan Jones used a "racially charged phrase" during a segment in 2018.[21] ACMA received numerous complaints after Jones used the controversial phrase in August 2018, while discussing the looming second Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill. "The nigger in the woodpile here, if one can use that expression – and I'm not going to yield to people who tell us that certain words in the language are forbidden – the person who's playing hard to get is Mathias Cormann", Jones told listeners. ACMA found that, while the phrase was widely considered racist, its use in the broadcast did not likely incite "hatred", "serious contempt" or "severe ridicule". 2GB's management agreed the term will not be used on-air again.[22]
In November 2019, a Downing Street aide alleged that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, had used the phrase during a trade meeting.[23]
In June 2020, a city councillor in Taupō, New Zealand, was subject to official complaints and a code of conduct investigation after using the phrase in a council meeting.[24]
In November 2021, the vice chairman of
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-8108-8489-2.
- ^ "nigger, n. and adj., §P2" OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2017. Web. 11 July 2017.
- ^ "nigger, n. and adj., etymology" OED Online. Oxford University Press, June 2017. Web. 11 July 2017.
- ^ "Heavens to Betsy" (1955, Harper & Row) by Charles Earle Funk
- San Antonio, Texas. 20 December 1886. p. 10. Retrieved 8 February 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Frank, Priscilla (27 May 2015). "One Particularly Upsetting And Racist Dr. Seuss Cartoon Is Heading To Auction". Huff Post.
- ISBN 0-520-23350-6.
- ^ McWhorter, John (30 April 2021). "How the N-Word Became Unsayable". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ISBN 0-345-35680-2.
- ^ Hills, David (16 May 2004). "Said and done: Pokerface". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Bonsu, Henry (23 April 2004). "Nail this line of black stupidity". Evening Standard. London. p. 11. Retrieved 7 February 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Apology removed any risk of bias; Law report". The Times. NI Syndication Limited. 5 February 1996. Retrieved 11 November 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ a b "Judge's nigger-in-the-woodpile quip cleared of racial bias". The Mercury. News Limited. 8 February 1996. Retrieved 11 November 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Lucy Cockcroft (9 July 2008). "David Cameron urged to sack Tory peer after 'nigger in the woodpile' remark". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "MP Anne Marie Morris apologises for racist remark". BBC News. 10 July 2017.
- ^ "Tory Brexiteer describes UK leaving EU without deal as 'real n***** in the woodpile'". The Independent. 10 July 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Listen As Tory MP Recorded Saying Brexit No Deal Is A 'N***** In A Woodpile'". huffingtonpost.co.uk. 10 July 2017.
- ^ "Theresa May orders Tory MP to be suspended after using N-word". The Guardian. 10 July 2017.
- ^ "Anne Marie Morris: Tory MP has whip restored after racist remark". BBC News. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ King, Alanis. "Conor Daly Loses Weekend NASCAR Sponsorship After Dad's Reported Use of the N-Word". Jalopnik. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Jones used 'racially charged phrase'". ABC News Australia. 29 March 2019.
- ^ "2GB breaches decency requirements". Australian Communications and Media Authority. 28 March 2019.
- ^ Waterson, Jim (18 November 2019). "Prince Andrew used the N-word, former No 10 aide claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- ^ "Conduct complaint follows racial slur metaphor". Stuff. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Council vice chairman resigns after using n-word in public meeting on YouTube". The Lincolnite. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Petition calls for South Kesteven vice chairman to resign after racist remark". The Lincolnite. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
Further reading
- Epistemology of the Woodpile, University of Toronto Quarterly (October 2002)
- History News Network blog post about a 2003 controversy
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External links
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- Racist parody of Republican platform from 1860 Presidential campaign, in Harper's Weekly
- Phrase used in 1918 advertisement for Patterson Publishing Company The Rotarianmagazine