25, Long Island, NY - tiger.
32, San Antonio, and “tiger”. I was flabbergasted by the SW Airlines story - that some people used “nigger” in the rhyme, and that some person got in a twist that an attendant said “eenie meenie miney mo, pick a seat, we gotta go.”
Tiger, 52, Maryland suburbs of Washington.
I didn’t know the “n—” version existed until sometime within the last 10 years. I find it entirely plausible that other people would likewise not know about it, even (perhaps especially) nowadays.
The stewardess said “Eeny meeny, miney mo. Pick a seat, we gotta go.” She was trying to encourage the few yet unseated passengers to get situated on a late-running flight. She thought it was cute, and claims she never knew of the “n—” version.
The passengers who sued were black and apparently all too familiar with the “n—” version. They thought the stewardess was being racist, and had targeted them with the rhyme.
The all-white jury acquitted with about an hour’s deliberation. The plaintiffs complained that there was no justice.
- Canada. Used “tiger” and never heard it used another way.
45, England. “Nigger”.
I never heard of any other version (although I had not heard the rhyme at all for many years, for obvious reasons, if that is the only version you know) until it come up in a thread on SDMB within the last year or so.
I learned it in the mid 70s in Michigan as “piggy”
The new kid on the block said “tiger” and I thought he was weird.
From the responses so far, it appears that my friend was the normal one and we were weird.
I heard the N-word one from certain ne’er-do-well types that my mom told us not to hang around with.
“Tiger” and “Tigger”
33
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
It was always ‘nigger for me,’ I’m from NZ and I don’t know anyone who said any other word in its place. Mind you, none of us actually knew the meaning of the word until we were quite a bit older and it’s not such a naughty word around here, simply because there’s no use for it.
Tiger.
24, Long Island, NY.
I’m amazed at the other versions here.
50
Bad neighborhood in SW Iowa.
It was mostly nigger but sometimes tiger if we were in a nicer part of town.
Tiger, 32, Richmond, Virginia
not certain when i became aware of the original. my racist, north carolina born grandma might have let slip at some point like she did with the brazil nuts.
Pennsylvania (DuBois then Pittsburgh to be specific) until the age of 13. I learned the tiger version and do not recall any peer using the N version. I am now 34 and living in Ohio.
I do not recall when/how I learned of the other version though.
Nigger 50 Australia
Both my kids used “robber” which I’ve noticed has not been mentioned.
“Tiger” or “Monkey”. 41, spent youth in Western NY near Buffalo.
My neighbor (same age as me) used the N word in the rhyme, but that was a Bad Word in most households, and it’s likely other people’s mothers eventually convinced her not to use it.
33, NE Indiana, Tiger.
I don’t think I ever heard the “nigger” version until Pulp Fiction, and like already mentioned, I thought it was just to show what a jerk the character was. I did hear one of my hillbilly relatives refer to cashews as “nigger toes” once though, and was appalled.
Now that jatsu brings it up, I vaguely remember “robber” being used a couple times, perhaps on tv/cartoons? I know we mostly used “tiger” though. Another one we used was “Bubble gum, bubble bum, in a dish…” or maybe that was for jump rope. Man, I don’t remember crap!
I always heard said with the n word. I’m 52 and grew up is St. Louis, MO.
I always heard it said with the n word. I’m 52 and grew up is St. Louis, MO.
42 - live in the deep south - “nigger” was the only version I heard until it finally hit me how terrible that was. I thought I was original at 7 when I subsituted “tiger” :smack:
55, SW Ohio, “nigger” until “they” got “uppity” (Watts, Detroit mainly, but MLK had a part (Panthers, too)), then it morphed into “tiger”
Tiger, 20, Scarborough, Ontario
As long as I can remember, I’ve always heard/used tiger, it’s weird seeing all of these different terms come out.