Play the white man
To play the white man is an idiom which is used in parts of Great Britain and it means that someone is attempting to be decent and trustworthy in his or her actions.[1] The phrase is commonly used by natives of the Yorkshire and the Humber region.[2]
A similar expression, which originated in the Southern United States in the 20th century, is that's mighty white of you and variations thereof, and they mean "thank you for being fair." Because of its racist connotations, since the mid-to-late 20th century, it has mostly been used ironically when it has been used at all.[3][4][5]
In film lore, the phrase that's mighty white of you was used in the film O Brother Where Art Thou (2000).[citation needed]
See also
Great Britain portal
References
- ^ "Complaint made over Mayor of Erewash's 'racist comment' at council meeting". Nottingham Post. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
- ^ Smitherman, G. (2006). Words and Expressions, Proverbs and Familiar Sayings. Word from the mother (pp. 45). Routledge: New York.
- ^ "White". Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ISBN 978-0812885361.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, cited at Dave Wilton (18 February 2007). "that's white of you". Wordorigins. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
External links
Look up play the white man in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.