The early scotsirish settlers were mostly presbyterian, baptist and methodist. Its also anything that cracks, like a firecracker or a computer code cracker, or of course, that thin, savory snack that cracks when you break it. Blinding is a positive term meaning excellent, great, or superb. Its a racial slur nowadays because word meanings and usages change and evolve over time. Although originally a classist term, meaning the same as poor white trash, it has evolved through usage to be a derogatory term for someone considered a w.
Cracker means something entirely different in florida. Blinding a slang term that is far from something that physically causes someone to lose their sight. If this were in fact, true, then the term would come directly from the cracking of the slavemasters whip. The process of cracking corn was essential to the process of distilling scottish whiskey and later, whiskey in the appalachians. Crackers, phreaks, and lamers from the early 1980s onward, a flourishing culture of local, msdosbased bulletin boards developed separately from internet hackerdom. With an influx of tourists looking at you, canadian dollar and new residents looking at you, america and your somewhat bonkers presidential race, youll need a cheat sheet for day. Top synonyms for nutcracker other words for nutcracker are nutcrackers, nutcracker and cracker. One theory holds that the term comes from the common diet of poor whites. The term baby blues would refer to any sadness felt by a mother after the birth of her baby. Florida cracker, 19th20th century cattle drivers of the florida scrub regions. Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day. Marijuana caballo spanish heroin cabbage head an individual who will use or experiment with any kind of drug cabello spanish cocaine caca heroin cactus mescaline cactus buttons mescaline cactus head mescaline cadcadillac 1 ounce cadillac cocaine. The oldest recorded birth by the social security administration for the name cracker is monday, march 26th, 1906.
But it turns out crackers roots go back even further than the 17th century. Topic abc news australian broadcasting corporation. Coal cracker is from 1853 of persons, 1857 of machinery that breaks up mined coal. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates. The amount of misinformation contained in some of these answers is amazing. Dictionarys defintion the term in the outsiders used for a gun. Crackers definition of crackers by the free dictionary. Two of the most popular theories are that the term cracker comes from as far back as the early 1800s and carried to the united states by scottish settlers in the south and appalachia. Compare latin crepare to rattle, crack, creak, with a secondary figurative sense of boast of, prattle, make ado about.
Depending on which gang you are dealing with the language will vary. Various theories exists regarding this terms application to poor white southerners. Cracker comes from the gaelic word craic which means a good conversation and is still in use in ireland today. The term is most widely used in the uk where circumcision among nonjews or nonmuslims is more rare, but in the united states, where it is more common, it can be considered insulting to many nonjewish males as well. Where does the term cracker come from, and how disparaging is it. A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense denotes ostentation. Glossary of civil war terms american battlefield trust. One theory is that it refers to the cracked corn that was a major part of the diet of poor southern whites. In american slang,what does a cracker mean,and is it. Although rednecks and southerners are not necessarily the same, redneck slang words are often considered southern slang words. Cracker definition and meaning collins english dictionary. From 1880 to 2018 less than 5 people per year have been born with the first name cracker.
Bloke is an extremely common term denoting a man, usually it is used in reference to an. I am of the opinion that given the predominance of even american movies at the very least the term cracker is now well known beyond north america. From the early 1980s onward, a flourishing culture of local, msdosbased bulletin boards developed separately from internet hackerdom. Since the huge influx of new residents into georgia from the northern parts of the united states in the late 20th century, georgia cracker has become used informally by some white residents of georgia of scotirish and english stock, to indicate that their family has lived there for many generations. These people mostly teenagers running ibmpc clones from their bedrooms have developed their own characteristic jargon. Australian slang is one of our most treasured exports. Another theory is that the term refers to whips that crackers used to drive slaves or cattle. But it hasnt always been as sanitary as gday, mate, or cobber. Cracker term, a slang, sometimes derogatory term for any person of white european descent. If so, please share what you are really thinking about this comment. A dry, thin, crispy baked bread usually salty or savoury, but sometimes sweet, as in the case of graham crackers and animal crackers. Theres a guy on our corner who shouts about the end of the world. Here are some examples of american and british military slang that date to the period of.
Cracker barrel 1861 barrel full of sodacrackers for sale was such a common feature of old country stores that the phrase came to be used by 1905 as an adjective, emblematic of downhome ways and views. A cracker is a thin, crisp biscuit which is often eaten with cheese. May 11, 2020 sense of computer cracker, crack, cracking, were promoted in the 1980s as an alternative to hacker, by programmers concerned about negative public associations of hack, hacking creative computer coding. Computer cracker, a security hacker who maliciously exploits weaknesses in a computer or network.
Because a cracker uses lowlevel hacker skills to do the cracking, the terms cracker and hacker have become synonymous with the latter becoming the predominant term. Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a usually disparaging term for poor whites, mainly used in the southern united states, but in recent decades in usage throughout north america. Originating in londons east end in the mid19th century, cockney rhyming slang uses substitute words, usually two, as a coded alternative for another word. Jul 01, 20 but it turns out cracker s roots go back even further than the 17th century. The term its a cracker came about during the 70s from a tv program called the comedians one them whos. It is sometimes used in a neutral context in reference to a native of florida or georgia see florida cracker and georgia cracker.
Have you ever heard of someone wearing their trackies to a barbie after they refuelled at a servo. The original root of this is the middle english word crack1 meaning entertaining conversation one may be said to crack a joke. With a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer. The cracker term was soon associated with the descendants of these early settlers, especially the cowboys and farmers of georgia and florida. Americanaustralian slang dictionary robert p oshea. Georgia cracker, 19th20th century cattle drivers of the georgia plains. Gangs have developed their own spoken language or terminology. The term cracker was also given to the farm hands that would work on the plantations as slave drivers. Definition of the slang term cracker with an example. Definition of cracker jack the online slang dictionary. Cracker definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Crackers dictionary definition crackers defined yourdictionary. A slang term for the new breed of police officers who patrol on bicycles, particularly apt in the winter months, when they have to brave. The bbs culture has, as its seamy underside, a stratum of pirate boards inhabited by crackers, phone phreaks, and warez d00dz.
All the way back to the age of shakespeare, at least. Another version of the origin of cracker comes from the spanish term cuaquero, which means quaker. Check out these 50 rednecksouthern slang words and. For example, that tackle from the spanish player was blinding. The following is a list of ethnic slurs ethnophaulisms that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity, or to refer to them in a derogatory that is, critical or disrespectful, pejorative disapproving or contemptuous, or otherwise insulting manner some of the terms listed below such as gringo, yank, etc. However, as ramsey notes, the slaves werent oppressing poor white. He is a real cracker jack when it comes to getting people to bid. Cracker article about cracker by the free dictionary. Alternate form of peckerhead, usually used affectionately. The outsiders slang dictionary free stories online. The first is that a cracker was a slang term used by 19th century georgian slaves to refer to the slavemasters. Paper currency which began to circulate in the north after february 1862 with the passage of the legal tender act.
A whole mess of white people like to get worked up about the word cracker, some in the mistaken belief that this will somehow result in permission to use the nword. A game of circle jerk in which the players race to ejaculate on a cracker in the center of the. What does the racial term cracker mean and how did the. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial slur used for white people, used especially against poor rural whites in the southern united states. Referring to the slang term cracker as a white person. A term in southeastern united states english to describe poor white trash, derived from the scottish meaning of the verb to crack, which, in this sense. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates cnn.
Looking for online definition of cracker or what cracker stands for. Soldiers, like other groups of people who have interests and associations that are not shared by society as a whole, develop their own special terminology. Jul 01, 20 with a single phrase, rachel jeantel, that friend of trayvon martins, may have lit a fuse in the trial of his accused killer. Crackers article about crackers by the free dictionary. Its super offensive, as a white person, to call yourself and other white people this. Oct 20, 2011 the term cracker was also given to the farm hands that would work on the plantations as slave drivers. Tiger webb abc news australian broadcasting corporation. Among some georgians, the term is used as a proud or jocular selfdescription. A cracker is a xmas festive thing resembling a toilet roll covered with tissue and decorations the cracker has a small explosive which goes off when you pull it the cracker usually holds a paper hat,a token and a joke the joke is usually terrible hence the term a cracker of a joke. B are you more familiar than i with the history of the term cracker. Tiger webb is a digital producer at radio national, and a researcher with abc language, the broadcasters inhouse body on language use and pronunciation. The bbs culture has, as its seamy underside, a stratum of pirate boards inhabited by cracker s, phone phreaks, and warez d00dz. Clarence major, in his dictionary of afroamerican slang, lists two rather interesting ideas about the origin of the term. Military slang of the revolutionary war era history is fun.
Definition of crackerhead the online slang dictionary. The meaning of the word has changed a lot over the last four. It means you celebrate your whipcracking heritage in the context of. Slang is very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more metaphorical, playful, elliptical, vivid and ephemeral than ordinary language random house unabridged dictionary learn 600 slang expressions. Franchesca ramsey explains how slaves used the word cracker. We must understand that this terminology, like all terminology, is a dynamic and evolving part of the language. Military slang of the revolutionary war era there is nothing new about military slang. Synonyms for cracker at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. They would put a short length of twisted twine or string attached to the end of a whip to produce a cracking sound. Always use a mainstream word, even if your entire linguistic history is telling you that a slang term would be the mot just. Do white people actually find the term cracker offensive. Much like nword privileges, cracker can be a proud selfdescription, a dire insult, or anything in between so its best to avoid the word unless youre certain that youre in the privileged group, with an audience that sees things the same way, and even then you can expect some criticism from outsiders. Jul 07, 2010 the term cracker was in use during elizabethan times to describe braggarts. Refers to circumcision and consumerism never pay retail.
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