# Is "Gentleman" a "racist slur"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 3, 2017, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994 "2017-06-03T11:17:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994/21 "2017-06-04T17:19:03Z")

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For those that didn’t recognize him (which would likely be 99.99% of you), that was Gentleman Jack Gallagher (pronounced Galla-her), an english WWE wrestler.

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994/22 "2017-06-04T17:27:24Z")

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> [@Miller](#):
>
> [I was thinking this.](http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/buffy/images/3/33/Gentlemen.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091119193213)

My mind goes directly to [this.](https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/fiction-wrestling-multiverse/images/c/c8/Mr-peanut.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150406172200)

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994/23 "2017-06-05T00:47:25Z")

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> [@Chimera](#):
>
> WTF?
> 
> No, it is not.
> 
> There’s this thing called a Dictionary that can be used to find out what words mean.
> 
> gent·le·man  
> ˈjen(t)lmən/Submit  
> noun  
> 1.  
> a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man.  
> “he behaved like a perfect gentleman”  
> 2.  
> a polite or formal way of referring to a man.  
> “opposite her an old gentleman sat reading”

Dictionaries often don’t cover slang, and this would clearly be a slang usage. The OP speaks English–they know what “gentleman” normally means.

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994/24 "2017-06-05T07:26:04Z")

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> [@Miller](#):
>
> [I was thinking this.](http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/buffy/images/3/33/Gentlemen.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20091119193213)

I was too. The OP might have a case regarding these Gentlemen. Skin color: gray. Race: Monster.

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**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-gentleman-a-racist-slur/787994/25 "2017-06-05T08:12:52Z")

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> [@gigi](#):
>
> My mind goes directly to [this.](https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/fiction-wrestling-multiverse/images/c/c8/Mr-peanut.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150406172200)

…who could be either yellow or black.

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