righteous

[Wilson Gray]

On 1/7/06, Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
> Subject:      Re: righteous
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Sat, Jan 07, 2006 at 12:40:38AM -0500, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >
> > Fritz, surely you haven't forgotten the BE slang use, dating back to
> > only God knows when, of "righteous" as a term meaning, "typical of
> > white people," as in "righteous moss," a head of hair naturally like
> > unto the hair of white people? ;-) When the Afro became hip, beauty
> > parlors that had formerly sustained themselves straighening
> > "naturally-curly" hair stayed in business curling the hair of chicks
> > thitherto "blessed" with righteous moss.
>
> OED cites this back to Zora Neale Hurston in 1942.
>
> Jesse Sheidlower
> OED
>

It's nice that someone besides God knows. :-) Thanks, Jesse!

-Wilson