... woodpile

[Mark A. Mandel]

"Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> writes:

>>>>>
I have only heard the expression rarely in either sense (it's considered
taboo or impolite by many). Usually it has meant "catch" or "unexpected
problem" ("hidden nefarious thing"). On the few occasions when I
encountered the "black ancestor" sense, I assumed a simple error versus
deliberate metaphor or joke. But the "Random House Historical Dictionary of
American Slang" shows both senses.

RHHDAS shows the sense of (1) "hidden nefarious thing" from 1843, the sense
of (2) "black ancestor" from 1953.

It is my belief that the use of the expression in the first sense was
virtually obsolete in many circles by the time of the origin of the second
sense. Thus (I think) many people around 1950 still recognized the
expression but no longer remembered what it meant, and therefore applied it
to something different.
<<<<<

I have heard/seen the expression only occasionally, often enough to have it
in my vocabulary except that I don't use the word "nigger". AFAIK I have
only ever known it with sense (1), 'hidden nefarious thing', or something
close to it, like (1a) 'hidden hazard or risk to a course of action'. I may
have been misunderstanding (1) as (1a).

I like the idiom's expressiveness, but for the reason mentioned above I say
instead "goblin in the woodpile" with sense (1a). I may be perverting my
children's Sprachgefuehl...

-- Mark