Origin of Nigger?

When I was growing up in Texas in the 1950s it was always an adventure to listen to a politician trying to refer to black people in the presence of Yankees.

For some reason, no politician south of the Mason-Dixon line seemed able to pronounce knee-grow. The word always came out as nih-gro, nig-rah, nih-grah and sometimes knee-grah.

Basically, “Nigrah” was simply the N-word for polite society. It may have been different in other locations, but where I grew up, the respectful way to refer to a black person was to call them “Colored.”

I will note that the bird seed long known as “Niger Seed” has been quietly renamed “Nyjer Seed” by most sellers.

nm

And along with the well-documented niggardly, perhaps chicanery, queer the deal, nip in the air, and chink in the armor may be in trouble.

Well, Haldane’s statement about the universe was correctified long ago.

Since this is was zombified by a troll, I’m closing it.