Nigger in the wood pile

A problem with a phone system.
The expression was coined by a pioneer for phone technicians and was carried on through apprentices and journymen. Today it is used in limited numbers among veteran phone technicians.

"Well, I tell ya...I can't seem to get the 2600 frequency to trunk. I reckon there's a nigger in the wood pile, boy."

by Joshua Denver April 18, 2006

Nigger in the wood pile

When something is surprising or obscure.

When you find out you're 3% eastern European, grandma says "that's the nigger in the wood pile"

by Dr. Delarney May 11, 2025