A dummy made of tar, which cannot be struck without getting oneself hopelessly stuck to it--from the story "Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Fox" by Joe Harris, as told by his fictional narrator, Uncle Remus.

Tar baby has become short hand for a situation better avoided than confronted.

Tar baby is a synonym for nigger, except that it is only used in bigoted manners, whereas nigger can be a sign of respect, if the speaker is also African American.

It comes from a children's story in which the dark skin and seeming ignorance (caused by a lack of schooling) of slaves were explained by the idea that black children were baptised in tar, which made them dark and dumb.

see nigger

a situation almost impossible to get out of; a problem virtually unsolvable;

A sticky mess. Something unable to get away from.Alternate: Similar to a Catch-22. Damned if you do and damned if you dont. A mistaken notion or misunderstanding that immediately produces indignation.

An african american baby, most likely very black.

1) A black man. see coon, nigger, etc etc

2) A road cyclist because they can't ride anywhere but on the tar-seal without needing a different bike.

3) A booby trap: shaped like a baby but made of tar.

A self-proclaimed University of North Carolina (UNC) fan.