A derogatory term that in English usage refers to black children, or a caricature of them which is widely considered racist. The word is likely derived from the Portuguese pequenino (derived from pequeno, "little").
Pickaninny refers to oft-depicted physical stereotypes of young African slave or African American children: bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips and wide mouth into which they stuffed large slices of watermelon.
Today, use of the term by persons of any race in English speaking countries is seen as distasteful, though at one time it was used within African American families to refer to their children in an affectionate manner. Versions of the word are still used in some pidgin dialects, including Caribbean English, where it usually means "child" or "young'un"
Pickaninny refers to oft-depicted physical stereotypes of young African slave or African American children: bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips and wide mouth into which they stuffed large slices of watermelon.
Today, use of the term by persons of any race in English speaking countries is seen as distasteful, though at one time it was used within African American families to refer to their children in an affectionate manner. Versions of the word are still used in some pidgin dialects, including Caribbean English, where it usually means "child" or "young'un"
Pickaninny (also, piccaninny): Before becoming the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson apologized for any offense caused by an article in which he sarcastically suggested that "the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies."
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the pickaninny mug.Used in North America, to refer to an American Indian (Native American) who is "red on the outside, white on the inside". It is used primarily by other American Indians to indicate someone who has lost touch with their cultural identity, similar to terms such as banana and Oreo.
Dancing-Buffalo left the reservation, changed his name to Chris and stopped coming to powwows. He's an apple.
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the Apple mug.Keisha: 'Quanda! Ever since you got that job you've been lettin those white people walk all over you!
LaQuanda: Whateva girlfriend, a girl gotta get paid, right?
Keisha: Aunt Jemima please, you aint foolin nobody. You's black!
LaQuanda: Whateva girlfriend, a girl gotta get paid, right?
Keisha: Aunt Jemima please, you aint foolin nobody. You's black!
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the Aunt Jemima mug.A racial slur referring to people of East Asian descent, coined by US soldiers during the Korean War. There are multiple proposed origins, but the most commonly accepted is that it if enemy Asian soldiers were shot in the head with high-powered weapons, their heads would split as if they had been "unzipped". Another origin could be that when enemy soldiers were ran over by military Jeeps, there would be tire tracks on them that resembled zippers. It's violent origin makes it a particularly derogatory pejorative.
It is often shortened to zip, though zip as a racial pejorative may have separate origins of its own
It is often shortened to zip, though zip as a racial pejorative may have separate origins of its own
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the zipperhead mug.A racial slur referring to people of Native American descent. It is based on the disproportionately high prevalence of alcoholism among Native Americans communities, and the resulting stereotypes of Native Americans as frequent consumers/abusers of alcohol.
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the chug mug.Broadly defined, the word refers to originating in a certain place or region; one born in or connected with a place by birth.
It is commonly used in English-speaking North America (Canada and the US) to refer to people of indigenous/American Indian/Native American/First Nation descent, though its use has to be highly contextualized if making such a reference.
It is commonly used in English-speaking North America (Canada and the US) to refer to people of indigenous/American Indian/Native American/First Nation descent, though its use has to be highly contextualized if making such a reference.
by PCone November 14, 2009
Get the native mug.By definition it should refer to those who are from or trace their ancestry to India, but is also commonly used in the U.S. and Canada to refer to indigenous/native peoples of North America.
The term is commonly thought to have begun with the misconception by Christopher Columbus that the Caribbean islands were the islands of the Indian Ocean (known to Europeans as the Indies) which he had hoped to reach by sailing west across the Atlantic. Even though Columbus’ mistake was soon recognized, the name stuck and for centuries the native people of the Americans were collectively called Indians.
American Indian is the most common and politically correct modern term for indigenous American peoples, particularly in legal/official language. “Indian” or “Indian American” can connote people from or who trace their heritage to India, however "Indian" is still widely used to refer to natives, particularly in contexts where it is unlikely to be confused with people from India. In general, native people prefer the term American Indian to Native American, though the latter is in common use and the terms are basically interchangeable. “Indian” is a rather collective term that disregards the cultural/geographical diversity of the peoples it refers to, thus the best descriptor is to refer to specific tribes by their tribe name (e.g. “he is Cherokee”).
In Canada, where East Indians outnumber those of aboriginal ancestry, the term First Nation is commonly used.
The term is commonly thought to have begun with the misconception by Christopher Columbus that the Caribbean islands were the islands of the Indian Ocean (known to Europeans as the Indies) which he had hoped to reach by sailing west across the Atlantic. Even though Columbus’ mistake was soon recognized, the name stuck and for centuries the native people of the Americans were collectively called Indians.
American Indian is the most common and politically correct modern term for indigenous American peoples, particularly in legal/official language. “Indian” or “Indian American” can connote people from or who trace their heritage to India, however "Indian" is still widely used to refer to natives, particularly in contexts where it is unlikely to be confused with people from India. In general, native people prefer the term American Indian to Native American, though the latter is in common use and the terms are basically interchangeable. “Indian” is a rather collective term that disregards the cultural/geographical diversity of the peoples it refers to, thus the best descriptor is to refer to specific tribes by their tribe name (e.g. “he is Cherokee”).
In Canada, where East Indians outnumber those of aboriginal ancestry, the term First Nation is commonly used.
by PCone November 14, 2009
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