# Racial slurs in crossword puzzle - accident? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 29, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587 "2001-06-29T07:58:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19adc/32.png) [@McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/21 "2001-07-01T14:34:37Z")
Very true, Tom. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/22 "2001-07-01T14:46:33Z")
What a great thread. You folks have shined a beacon of understanding on this topic! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/23 "2001-07-02T00:02:34Z")
How about a TWO letter derogatory word? Just found "HO’… bottom row, second letter to the right, going up. (this is the most fun I’ve had reading a thread slowly in some time.) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/24 "2001-07-02T01:55:25Z")
I found: BRAT DONK ANAL ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/25 "2001-07-02T14:24:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TomH \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by McMurphy \* > > Well, I had never heard of the word goy (I’m assuming it’s an anti semetic slur) > > It’s a Yiddish/Hebrew word meaning “gentile” or “nation”. AFAIK, it’s not really offensive. It’s not, as mentioned earlier. Also Yid is simply the Yiddish word for Jew. But I guess if “Jew” is offensive maybe “Yid” is too. Hmm… In a similar manner, a lot of Blacks seem to be under the impression that the Yiddish word “Shvartzeh” is a derogeratory term for Black people. Actually, Shvartz means black in Yiddish (e.g. the name Shwartz). A Shvartzeh simply means a Black. I guess anytime people hear an expression about themselves that they don’t know the meaning of, there is a tendency to assume it must be something nasty. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/26 "2001-07-02T17:44:37Z")
For the record, this page has a copy of the actual puzzle: [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/phillyword1.shtml](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/phillyword1.shtml) See what words YOU can find! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/27 "2001-07-02T18:43:49Z")
Thanks to Smack for providing an actual copy of the puzzle in question. After a look at that puzzle, I’m pretty certain that any and all ethnic slurs were unintentional, and due to random chance. And some of the words cited as offensive are ridiculous! “HO”? For Pete’s sake, if THAT’s verboten, then NO word in which the letters H and O are juxtaposed can ever be used in a puzzle! Are “hot dog” and “hockey” and “chocoloate” now unacceptable words, just because they all contain “ho”? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587/28 "2001-07-03T01:54:02Z")
It also contains “pom,” as well as a bunch of nonoffensive words like “poor” and “maze”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racial-slurs-in-crossword-puzzle-accident/70587.md?page=1)