Ghetto/nigger-rig

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Tue May 1 17:50:03 UTC 2007


Hasn't it been proclaimed that racism is dead? New formations such as
"niggerbox" for boombox and "nigger-rig" as a replacement for
"jury-rig," as well as pswaydo-euphemisms like "reggin ("nigger"
spelled backward) weed" for low-quality grass make the 21st-century
appear to be only numerically distinct from the 20th.

-Wilson

On 5/1/07, Sarah Lang <slang at uchicago.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Sarah Lang <slang at UCHICAGO.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Ghetto/nigger-rig
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Yup.
>
> Annoying when you actually live in the "ghetto" and have to clarify.
> Or, frankly, when it comes out of the mouth of your students who(se
> parents) are paying $50K for them to go to school.
>
> Anyone familiar with "nigger-rig"? As in hacking something together
> to make it sort of, kinda, just barely work?
>
> S.
>
> On Apr 30, 2007, at 10:10 PM, Doug Harris wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: Ghetto
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > ---------
> >
> > While that usage may not yet be documented in the likes of HDAS or
> > OED,
> > it most _definitely_ has been 'standard' for ~at least~ 6-8 years
> > among
> > teens and 20-somethings in NY if not elsewhere.
> > (the other) doug
> >
> > =============
> > I've looked in HDAS and the OED, and I didn't find "ghetto" listed
> > as an
> > adjective, as in "Buy a replacement on ebay for $20, don't replace
> > it with a
> > plain mirror, that's ghetto."
> > (http://groups.google.com/group/alt.autos.chrysler.sebring/msg/
> > 905ec155d0ee9
> > 43f)
> > It seems fairly common slang nowdays.
> >
> > Scot LaFaive
> >
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-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens
------
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                                           Rumanian proverb

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