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Meaning of "nigger in the woodpile" in the English dictionary

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PRONUNCIATION OF NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE

nigger in the woodpile play
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WHAT DOES NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Nigger in the woodpile

A nigger in the woodpile or fence is a dated English figure of speech meaning "some fact of considerable importance that is not disclosed—something suspicious or wrong". In the 21st century, use of the phrase in English speaking countries by public officials or people in positions of power has often been followed by public criticism and demands for apology, because of the offensive nature of the term "nigger" over the decades.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE

niggard
niggardize
niggardliness
niggardly
nigger
nigger brown
nigger minstrel
niggerdom
niggerhead
niggerish
niggerism
niggerling
niggery
niggle
niggler
niggling
nigglingly
niggly

WORDS THAT END LIKE NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE

aeolipile
atomic pile
bearing pile
compile
eolipile
fender pile
galvanic pile
pile
recompile
sandpile
shagpile
sheet pile
slush pile
spile
stockpile
thermopile
unpile
uppile
voltaic pile
woodpile

Synonyms and antonyms of nigger in the woodpile in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «nigger in the woodpile» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE

Find out the translation of nigger in the woodpile to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of nigger in the woodpile from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «nigger in the woodpile» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

黑人在柴堆
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

nigger en la pila de leña
570 millions of speakers

English

nigger in the woodpile
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

Woodpile में निगर
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

زنجي في الحطب
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

негр в поленницы
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

nigger na pilha de lenha
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কাঠপাইলে নিগ্রো
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

nigger dans le tas de bois
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Nigger dalam timbunan kayu
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Nigger in der Holzstapel
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ウッドパイルにおける黒人
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

장작 더미 에서 깜둥이
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Nigger ing woodpile
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

mọi trong đống gỗ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

மரகதத்தில் நைஜர்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

लाकडी लोखंडी कडेला निगर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Woodpile´deki zenci
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

nigger nella catasta di legna
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

czarnuch w woodpile
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

негр в дровітні
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

negru în grămada de lemne
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αράπης στην woodpile
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

nigger in die brandstapel
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

neger i vedstapeln
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

nigger i vedstabelen
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of nigger in the woodpile

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE»

The term «nigger in the woodpile» is normally little used and occupies the 123.237 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Little used
43
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «nigger in the woodpile» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of nigger in the woodpile
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «nigger in the woodpile».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «nigger in the woodpile» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «nigger in the woodpile» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about nigger in the woodpile

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE»

Discover the use of nigger in the woodpile in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to nigger in the woodpile and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Out of the Woodpile: Black Characters in Crime and Detective ...
But there was no way to get around a bit of dialogue about "a nigger in the woodpile." This phrase must have tickled Agatha Christie's fancy because two characters use it. Mr. Justice Wargrave is the first: "The judge's eyebrows rose. But he ...
Frankie Y. Bailey, 1991
2
Migrating to the Movies: Cinema and Black Urban Modernity
The comic plot of A Nigger in the Woodpile mobilizes multiple discourses on Black character. It also hinges upon the disguise and exposure of acts of Black transgression, as well as white retaliation, as seen by the camera, the viewer, and the ...
Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, 2005
3
Beyond Blackface: African Americans and the Creation of ...
My use of the phrase “nigger in the woodpile” alludes to that of Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, who, in “Introduction: A Nigger in the Woodpile, or Black (In)Visi — bility in Film History,” in Migrating to the Movies, 1–19, discusses its meaning in the ...
William Fitzhugh Brundage, 2011
4
A Dictionary of Catch Phrases
I have also often heard the phrase applied to a person upon whom suspicion rests, or is proved: 'So he's (or he was) the nigger in the woodpile!' Cf something nasty in the woodshed. there's a one-eyed man in the game. 'Look out for a cheat !
Eric Partridge, 2003
5
Toni Morrison: Forty Years in The Clearing
Morrison unloads her “nigger in the woodpile” off the king's storage boat to stir up the ironic contrast between spontaneous island funk and the calculated artifice of L'Arbe de la Croix. The figure itself implies an association with and disruption ...
Carmen Gillespie, 2012
6
Black Milk: Imagining Slavery in the Visual Cultures of ...
'The Nigger'in the Woodpile is a forceful design (Fig. 2.10).75 The left-hand side shows the Republican publicist and radical abolitionist Horace Creeley attempting to shield the view of a personi- fied 'Young America' from the scene behind ...
Marcus Wood, 2013
7
Political Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture
That's the nigger in the woodpile.' 'The negro in the woodpile,' murmured Domna and was instantly ashamed of the joke. The President [of the university] threw back his head and roared. 'Touché!' he cried and grew thoughtful. 'It's an ugly ...
Geoffrey Hughes, 2011
8
Can't I Love What I Criticize?: The Masculine and Morrison
He quickly points out, for example, that Margaret speaks in “food measurements” and connects her language with “having too much” (67). On the other hand, the morning after he “rattles” to Jadine, his homemade nigger in the woodpile, he ...
Susan Neal Mayberry, 2007
9
Salvation and Suicide: Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and ...
He related how he had checked his genealogy, which he claimed included one of the kings of England, and to his delight, he said, "I smelled sweetly a nigger in the woodpile." Jones said that he had kept his blackness a secret for some time, ...
David Chidester, 2003
10
Faulkner and the Ecology of the South
... will be him—only to find that his attempt to “class off” (as Zora Neale Hurston puts it in Their Eyes Were Watching God,9) to rise to a position of command and invulnerabil- ity, creates Bon, the repudiated son, the “nigger in the woodpile” (71 ).
Joseph R. Urgo, Ann J. Abadie, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «NIGGER IN THE WOODPILE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term nigger in the woodpile is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Resignation call over use of word 'nigger'
Peter Edwards, 78, Bath and North East Somerset councillor for Whitchurch and Publow, used the phrase "nigger in the woodpile" on ... «Western Daily Press, Feb 14»
2
Harassment claims led to sacking
... project, used the phrase ''nigger in the woodpile'' during a meeting held to discuss creation of an indigenous cultural space at Barangaroo. «Sydney Morning Herald, Aug 13»
3
Racist comment shocks planners
... Barangaroo Delivery Authority used the phrase ''nigger in the woodpile'' during a meeting at which an African-American woman was present. «Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 13»
4
A voice from a bygone age
Alan Jones: Now I'm going to check this today with Mal Brough because I think the Commonwealth is a bit of a nigger in the woodpile here . «ABC Online, May 13»
5
Sambo unchained in life's skin game
An unanticipated problem was a nigger in the woodpile, a person who failed to deliver was an Indian giver and a run of bad luck was explained ... «The Age, Mar 13»
6
The Business On... Trevor Matthews, Chief executive, Friends …
Sometimes too plain. He survived something of a storm with his unfortunate use of the phrase "nigger in the woodpile" during a presentation. «Independent, Jan 11»
7
Michael Yates's In and Out of the Working Class
... have been a "nigger in the woodpile." The geography of my hometown, where the part where black residents lived was called "the lower end. «Swans, Oct 09»
8
The Harding Affair, Part Two: Evidence of Racism Rising
He even joked that he wanted to title his book, The Nigger in the Woodpile. Nasty stuff, but this is the guy whose book is considered by many as ... «FindLaw, Oct 09»
9
David Cameron urged to sack Tory peer after 'nigger in the woodpile
The "nigger in the woodpile" phrase originated in the American deep south in the mid-19th century and was used to describe fugitive slaves ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 08»
10
The Wit and Wisdom of Don Imus
Imus is here alluding to the expression "nigger in the woodpile.") "Knuckle-dragging moron." (Description of basketball player Patrick Ewing.). «Slate, Apr 07»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Nigger in the woodpile [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/nigger-in-the-woodpile>. Apr 2024 ».
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