# Innocent words that happen to contain "the n word"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 18, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592 "2007-05-18T13:53:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/1 "2007-05-18T13:53:56Z")
Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=421237) thread, which mentions "snigger"and “niggardly.”
What other words could get your lights punched out by an idiot.
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### Author:  [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/2 "2007-05-18T14:09:31Z")
Naggers?
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/3 "2007-05-18T14:11:38Z")
The Niger River, if you mispronounce it.
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### Author:  [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/4 "2007-05-18T14:15:32Z")
Conagers
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### Author:  [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/5 "2007-05-18T14:16:47Z")
German football legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Does it have to be the N-word? I was thinking of the unfortunate residents of the English town Scunthorpe, for whom over-zealous web filters are the bane of their lives.
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### Author:  [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/6 "2007-05-18T14:21:43Z")
Governor Arnold
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/7 "2007-05-18T14:23:13Z")
niggling.
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/8 "2007-05-18T14:39:00Z")
Nigiri Sushi
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/9 "2007-05-18T14:55:20Z")
dead honky.
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### Author:  [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/10 "2007-05-18T15:04:09Z")
World of Warcraft’s profanity filter blocks “Niger” and “Nigeria”. Which means that you can’t discuss the Valerie Plame affair between pwning noobs.
It does not, however, block any variation on “fag”, which really pisses me off.
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### Author:  [@toadbriar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadbriar)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/11 "2007-05-18T17:41:22Z")
It’s probably not a good idea call someone a reneger. In fact, that whole thesaurus entry is cursed: indian giver? welsher? yikes.
Somewhat relatedly to the topic, I’ve recently seen a commercial for an apparently Canadian product now being marketed in the states. It’s something like WD-40 and the commercial repeats the product name A LOT. It’s called Jig-A-Loo. I’m not sure if my cringe-o-meter is calibrated properly, but I wince every time the commercial comes on. A bit of googling suggests that it’s been around for years in Canada, but I’d never heard of it and was rather taken aback. The commercial is so cheezy and goofy, I thought it was a MadTV skit or something.
And the ‘Cover Barack’s Face’ googlespam is especially charming today, thanks. Howcome the Dope gets the most obnoxious ads in heavy rotation? It’s not exactly the target market I’d have picked.
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### Author:  [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/12 "2007-05-18T17:55:47Z")
resurrection
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/13 "2007-05-18T18:15:10Z")
There was a time, 25-30 years ago, when I worked on a shift that was about 50% African-American and the whole PC thing was beginning to take shape. Just out of the blue one night I asked what term they used for the Brazil nut. Up to that point in my life, Brazil nut was just not used at all. I found it quite interesting that every one of the Black guys had the same term for it. It was the same term I had heard all my life.
I wonder if it’s still the case.
(See, I didn’t even use the term, but I would bet that anybody over 30 years old knows what I mean.)
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### Author:  [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/14 "2007-05-18T19:55:15Z")
I once got strange looks when I said “I hate to start _niggling_, but…”. :eek:
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### Author:  [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/15 "2007-05-18T20:12:46Z")
In my part of the country we are plagued in the summertime by itchy bites from mite larvae commonly called “chiggers.” When I was a Girl Scout camp counselor, we were instructed not to use the term “chiggers,” but to call the nasty little bastids “harvest mites.” Apparently some people find the word “chigger” offensive, presumably because it rhymes with the forbidden ‘N’ word. Or maybe there is a bigger – er, excuse me, larger – reason.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/16 "2007-05-18T20:17:24Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud]
Apparently some people find the word “chigger” offensive, presumably because it rhymes with the forbidden ‘N’ word. Or maybe there is a bigger – er, excuse me, larger – reason.
[/QUOTE]
You’d think there would be, but I just can’t figger it out.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/17 "2007-05-18T20:25:53Z")
In Blood Bowl (a football-like board game set in the Warhammer Universe,) sometimes players have persistent setbacks called _niggling injuries_. I guess we should rename them _Nurgling Injuries_ [/obscure Warhammer joke.]
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### Author:  [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/18 "2007-05-18T20:27:38Z")
Speaking of Niger, when I was younger I thought it was pronounced like you know what so when we were going over African countries in 6th grade I was scared the teacher would call on me to read aloud about Niger. 😃
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/19 "2007-05-18T20:43:46Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar]
I found it quite interesting that every one of the Black guys had the same term for it. It was the same term I had heard all my life.
[/QUOTE]
Paraguayan toes? 😃
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### Author:  [@Words\_on\_the\_Interweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Words_on_the_Interweb)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2007, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-words-that-happen-to-contain-the-n-word/404592/20 "2007-05-18T20:50:03Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar]
There was a time, 25-30 years ago, when I worked on a shift that was about 50% African-American and the whole PC thing was beginning to take shape. Just out of the blue one night I asked what term they used for the Brazil nut. Up to that point in my life, Brazil nut was just not used at all. I found it quite interesting that every one of the Black guys had the same term for it. It was the same term I had heard all my life.
I wonder if it’s still the case.
(See, I didn’t even use the term, but I would bet that anybody over 30 years old knows what I mean.)
[/QUOTE]
I was actually thinking of that when I read the thread title; I grew up calling them that, having no clue it was a racial epithet. It’s just what those type of nuts were called.
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