[Ads-l] cotton-picking

Cohen, Gerald Leonard gcohen at MST.EDU
Sun Jun 24 19:05:38 UTC 2018


No it's not racial, although I must admit that at one time I thought

it was. Btw,  I compiled the following article a while back:

   'Slang "Cotton Picking": Its Dual Origin  As A Euphemism And A

Reference To The Rough Hands Of Both Whites And

Blacks (Not Necessarily Poor) Who Picked Cotton.'

in: Comments on Etymology,  vol. 39, no. 2-3, Nov.-Dec. 2009,

pp. 18-22.


Gerald Cohen

________________________________
Original  ads-l message from James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at NETSCAPE.COM>
Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2018 1:03 PM
Subject: cotton-picking

My daughter has two language questions:

1) what is the origin of "cotton-picking"?  Is it or was it a racial slur?  Does it have anything to do with slaves picking cotton?

2) what is the difference between "creek" and "crick" when referring to a small stream?  Is it a regional variation?

- Jim Landau








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