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. As it turns out, in the area in which rachel jeantel was raised, the word cracker isnt a racial slur at all, but rather, a proud nod to the regions history, and ones own ancestry. 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. Where did the term come from though, and is it actually as offensive as other racial s. Crossed ethnicities africaneuropean mulatto origin americas mulatto is a term used to refer to a person who is born from one white parent. Prior to that, crack was a noun meaning something superior and a verb meaning to boast. All of our slang term and phrase definitions are made possible by our wonderful visitors. The term cracker was also given to the farm hands that would work on the plantations as slave drivers. If you know of another definition of cracker that should be included here, please let us know. One theory is that it refers to the cracked corn that was a major part of the diet of poor southern whites. If so, please share what you are really thinking about this comment. A person, especially a woman, who frequently seduces men 20, lorenzo baccala, the man who made love to more women than casanova. In fact, the wikipedia entry for cracker pejorative even notes the.
Most slurs that are directed at white people like white trash, hunkyhonky, redneck, etc originated not with blacks, but with rich whites using those terms to describe poor whites. One theory holds that it originated with disadvantaged corn and wheat farmers. A dry, thin, crispy baked bread usually salty or savoury, but sometimes sweet, as in the case of graham crackers and animal crackers. The term is generally considered archaic by some and inadvertently derogatory, especially in the africanamerican community. Something thats great, like the best bargain for the day being the cracker of the day.
I asked jelani cobb, a historian at the university of connecticut and a contributor to the new yorker, if he might know. It implies a person who lives in the utmost worst conditions and a person who no one really cares about. What is the origin of the slang word cracker answers. What is the origin of cracker as an ethnic slur for white. Cracker is always disparaging and offensive when used to refer to a poor white person in the south. This page explains what the slang term cracker means.
Cracker slang definition of cracker slang by medical. Do white people actually find the term cracker offensive. Various theories exists regarding this term s application to poor white southerners. Crackers definition of crackers by the free dictionary. He is a real cracker jack when it comes to getting people to bid. You can find this even back in some of shakespeares plays, like king john. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial epithet for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. He also scored a cracker of a goal in the firsthalf. Cracker is an elongation of crack, an adjective meaning expert or superior that dates from the 18th century. An alternative treatment for sleep disorders in which the oral mucosa is stimulated by lowwattage electromagnetic fields. We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. Information and translations of cracker in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Definition of cracker jack the online slang dictionary. North american english, slang an offensive word for a poor white person with little education from the southern us informal a person who illegally finds a way of looking at or stealing information on somebody elses computer system.
Cracker is not a racial slur, it is a classist slur. What does the racial term cracker mean and how did the. Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates cnn. A girl who sees different men at the same time just for fun, nothing serious, and uses them for sex and that is it, uses them for her guilty pleasure. Oh, i have a cracker of a photo of the two of us after a massive goodbye cry, when i left australia 10 years ago. Coal cracker is from 1853 of persons, 1857 of machinery that breaks up mined coal.
It turned out, in fact, to be a cracker of a show to cheer up the punters on a showery and cold earlymarch night. And the apocalyptic aphrodisiac, author house isbn, page 178 if the apocalyptic aphrodisiac were to come, men would become womanizers, women would become manizers, and our ability to defend ourselves as a nation. Cream cracker meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. All the way back to the age of shakespeare, at least. A dictionary of american idioms 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.
Titled celtic christmas, this second solo album from tommy is a real cracker. 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. I know it goes back to before 1600 which would put its or. Top synonyms for cracker other words for cracker are biscuit, cookie and hardtack. 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. Crackers definition of crackers by medical dictionary. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. Aug 15, 20 the word cracker is commonly understood as a racist slur for whites. Apr 17, 2009 in mainstream press, the word hacker is often used to refer to a malicious security cracker. Cracker term cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a term for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. The final was a real cracker with some marvellous pitching from both sides. Cracker means something entirely different in florida. Synonyms for cracker at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Cracker slang definition of cracker slang by medical dictionary.
Cracker conveys history of bigotry that still resonates. Today, cracker is often used as a derogatory term for a white person for obvious reasons. 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. After youre done, brush up on some southern manners and learn how to pronounce these commonly mispronounced arkansas names. British english, informal something that you think is very good, funny, etc. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the slangit team. But it turns out crackers roots go back even further than the 17th century. One theory holds that the term comes from the common diet of poor whites. There is a classic definition of the term hacker, arising from its first documented uses related to. I should explain to your lordship what is meant by crackers. Cracker definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Various theories exists regarding this terms application to poor white southerners.
A cracker was basically someone who cracks a lot of jokes but usually always refers to scotch or irish. Its a cracker of a book and you should read it if you havent already. Top synonym for cracker another word for cracker is biscuit. Another theory is that the term refers to whips that crackers used to drive slaves or cattle. Cracker dictionary definition cracker defined yourdictionary. It has been taken as an offensive and derogatory term to people of caucasian or european descent and is largely considered a slur in modern usage. B are you more familiar than i with the history of the term cracker. When used by black people, cracker can refer to a southern white racist, not necessarily poor or rural. However, nowadays, especially in florida, it is just a pejoritive for any white person. Cracker definition of cracker by medical dictionary. Implied in the term cracker is that they dont fit in with other white culture. Compare latin crepare to rattle, crack, creak, with a secondary figurative sense of boast of, prattle, make ado about.
If you would like to suggest a term or an update to an existing one. Meaning instrument for crushing or cracking is from 1630s. Definition of the slang term cracker with an example. Crackerjack definition of crackerjack by merriamwebster. A cracker is a thin, crisp piece of baked bread which is often eaten with cheese. Crack slang synonyms, crack slang pronunciation, crack slang translation, english dictionary definition of crack slang. Looking for online definition of cracker or what cracker stands for. This page may contain content that is offensive or inappropriate for some readers. 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.
In american slang,what does a cracker mean,and is it. Cracker comes from the gaelic word craic which means a good conversation and is still in use in ireland today. Cracker definition in the cambridge english dictionary. The amount of misinformation contained in some of these answers is amazing. They would put a short length of twisted twine or string attached to the end of a whip to produce a cracking sound. These are some of the most common and not so common southern slang terms heard in arkansas and throughout the south. The southern slang dictionary will help you avoid confusion if you are planning to visit the south. Apr 08, 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.