racial epithets

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Jul 28, 2005, at 4:20 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:
>
> high yellow -- HDAS has 1923, OED has 1951
> "At the Theatres" | Nebraska | Lincoln | The Lincoln Daily Star |
> 1916-06-22 p. 3. col 3.
> "They present the typical minstrel nigger and high yaller octoroon."
>
> "Honey Boy" Minstrels Please Large Audience at Atlanta
> The Atlanta Constitution; Mar 12, 1915; pg. 12 col 3.
> "Eldon Durand is a classic in make-up in his part of the Miss
> Flooeyanna Wilkins, the "high yellow," for whose charms "Lasses"
> inevitably falls."

In a 1930 _AmSp_ article ("Language of the Speakeasy" by C.P.M.), "bird's
eye maple" is given as an alternative to "high yaller". A 1944 _Phylon_
article ("Nicknames and Minority Groups" by Wilmoth A. Carter) repeats
this information. Are there any additional cites for this epithet? I don't
see any.

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1930 _Amer. Speech_ 6(2) Dec. 159 _Bird's eye maple_ is a light mulatto
girl. _High yaller_ is the same as "bird's eye maple."
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1944 Phylon 5(3) 243 Bird's eye maple -- light mulatto girl.
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--Ben Zimmer