Spears/peckers/poodles

[William Salmon]

In _Slang and Euphemism_, Spears defines "peckerwood" as "a
derogatory(!) nickname for a Caucasian. From the common name of a
species of woodpecker. The term may be an elaboration of 'pecker'
(sense 2) [= 'penis' -WG]. [from Southern black dialect ...]."

"Peckerwood" is the term used for any woodpecker, just as
"hoppergrass" is used for any  grasshopper, all over the South, and,
in East Texas, at least, "toadfrog" is used for any toad. In order to
claim that peckerwood is an elaboration of "pecker" in the sense of
penis, a researcher would first have to show that "pecker" is used in
BE as a slang term for "penis" and that it is also applied to a person
as an insult. If there's anyone who can show that even one of these is
true, I'll kiss his ass at high noon on the courthouse lawn and give
him 45 minutes to draw a crowd.
[WS]

There is also an old saying, used to describe someone with red hair: "red on
the noodle like a pecker on a poodle" in which "pecker" seems to have the
relevant penis meaning.

As far as derogatory nicknames for Caucasians, a scene from the movie "Back
to the Future" has a young white punk calling an African-American guy a
spook, and then the African-American guy responds by calling the white guy a
peckerwood.  Here's the scene (2nd and 3rd pics):
http://fusion-industries1.tripod.com/scene15therealgeorge/

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