10 Phrases to Eliminate From Your Everyday Speech
I often find myself cringing at some of the idioms and phrases we still use today
. Sometimes a speaker will use an idiom they've heard a thousand times before without truly understanding the hateful, hurtful or racist connotation and origin of the actual phrase. While on the witch hunt' (actually referencing the hunt and slaughter of innocent people) for offensive language in a world where every word uttered by every politico or celebrity is scrutinized, often common expressions can be mistaken for offensive. To help you navigate the waters and avoid offending or being perceived to offend those around you, here are 10 phrases to remove from your everyday speech.
1. Off the reservation' She went completely off the reservation by accusing me of that.' This phrase typically implying that one has gone crazy or has broken sharply with a particular group, actually references a very sad chapter in the history of North America where indigenous peoples were rounded up and basically imprisoned on poor quality land. These indigenous people were often persecuted or killed if caught off the reservation' land. Please remove this phrase from your casual common language.
2. Jew down' He wanted $20 but I Jewed him down to $10.' Referencing the act of negotiating a better price for something, it's actually a reference to Jewish money handling skills. The perception of the prowess of the Jewish peoples with money actually comes from their ability to charge interest on loans under William the Conqurer (1066). The practice of lending money for profit was forbidden except for this group of people. Jewish merchants collected interest on money which the King then taxed. They were later singled out as extortionate money lenders. Compare that in a much lighter way to how many people view the banking and finance sectors today to understand how profits might not always reap goodwill as well. The culture of contempt in Medieval England and Europe ran so deep that Jews were often massacred in bloody riots. It's probably best to stop using this phrase.
3. We'll pow wow' This is relatively common and particularly offensive to Native Americans. We'll pow wow about that decision when I get back from my business trip.' While pow wow' seems harmless, it still is offensive given that a pow-wow is typically a gathering of spiritual and religious importance deriving from the Narragansett word powaw', meaning spiritual leader.' Because of the phrase's intended reverance it should be avoided when the speaker merely intends to indicate a quick get to together and regrouping.
4. Indian giver' used to denote one who gives a gift and expects to receive it or some other service in return. Jack gave me his coat then asked for it back when he got cold. What an Indian giver.' Its origin is a little obscure but likely relates to the differences between European and Native American practices of gifting. Native Americans functioned largely in a bartering economy and the European's viewed their goods as gifts. Regardless, it's offensive to Native Americans.
5. Pay through the nose' I couldn't believe how much the car repairs cost. I paid through the nose.' While the meaning has become more figurative than literal, it actually originates in England and Ireland, where failure to pay taxes or tribute to marauding Vikings could result in someone's nose being cut or cutoff entirely. This phrase isn't really offensive to any particular culture, but it really is rather gruesome and shouldn't be left out there for the listener's imagination.
Phrases you can't use because of the misperceptions, misinformed and mistaken:
6. Heebie-Jeebies' - Not actually anti-semetic (Heebie not referencing the truncated derogatory version of the word Hebrew). The spider crawling on my arm gave me a serious case of the Heebie-Jeebies.' Actually one of the more interesting misuses, it derives from an obscure comic strip in 1923 and then a dance of the same name. Use it and watch the room fall silent with indignation.
7. Niggardly' - An adjective meaning stingy' or miserly' it is not actually a use of the N-word. The word niggardly actually derives from Old Norse verb nigla' which meant to fuss about small matters. It is completely unrelated to the Latin word niger, meaning black' and giving rise to the more modernly offensive N-word. Use this phrase in a vocabulary challenged crowd and be prepared to run or even lose your job. The director of D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams's constituent services office, David Howard, was forced to resign in 1999 when he used the word in reference to the administration of a fund he was charged with. Use it at your own peril.
8. Rule of Thumb' The rule of thumb regarding snake handling is to always grab them from the back.' Though it has been said to derive its origin from an English law which allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb (circa 1782), the truth of this particular application of the phrase remains in question. The rule is actually a ruler rather than a ruling. References to the thumb as a loose measuring device trace back to the 1600's and probably even earlier. When you're working with your hands and you need to measure something, well, your thumb is right there. Still, because the most widely accepted truth is that it references spousal abuse, you ought to steer clear of it.
9. What a gyp.' In contemporary American language it means to be cheated or swindled. It is believed to have been related to the word Gypsie,' and it may have developed this meaning as a parallel meaning. It's original and earliest meaning was from the Welsh word of the same spelling which was more of a tweaking pain. I fell and now have a gyp in my back.' It was later also referred to by British soldiers who suffered from a common, excruciatingly painful gastric distress while serving in Egypt during WWII. He drank the water and now has the gyp.' While seemingly innocuous, given it's more widely assumed reference to Gypsies and that this group of peoples was singled out, along with the Jewish people, by the Nazis, you might want to avoid this phrase in your everyday language.
10. Call a spade a spade' Let me call a spade a spade and say that what he did was a crime.' While dating back to the 16th century as a reference to straight talking and calling it what it is, a spade referenced a shovel. The use of the word spade predates the 20th century use of the word as an ethnic slur referencing the color of the playing card suit of the same name. Interestingly enough, the spade suit of cards in multiple other cultures was often expressed as a sword, pike, lance or shovel, so it's a good example of an idiom developing parallel meanings. Regardless, the phrase should be avoided to avoid confusion with the modern slur.
So as you strive to be politically correct and speak with perfect clarity and meaning, please avoid the above ten phrases to keep your listener from forming images of torture, persecution, robbery and enslavement. Even though the phrase you are using might not actually have the meaning ascribed to it, you should remember this famous observation made by Mark Twain: "In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth ...a brass farthing." As it can apply to language, your intended meaning is worthless compared to its perceived meaning. Remember, the Politically Correct' police are always listening and you never know what they might interpret from your words as you strive to call as spade a spadeerI mean, as you strive to speak plainly.
10 Phrases to Eliminate From Your Everyday Speech
By: Shawn Mann
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