the n word: on its way out?

Jesse Sheidlower jester at PANIX.COM
Thu Mar 8 20:25:03 UTC 2007


On Thu, Mar 08, 2007 at 03:18:17PM -0500, Charles Doyle wrote:
>
> OK, I'll ask: What does it mean to rhyme with "vigour,
> rigour, tiger"??  Is the reference to Winnie the Poo's
> (fake)feline companion?

No, it just means that in the Burnes poem, the word "niger"
rhymes with these other words. The note was attached to this
specific quotation, not to the word in general.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED

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