I'm horrified - Prince Andrew and racist language

Oh dear Hurdy ?

Don't beat yourself up about it....you obviously had only heard the expression, not seen it written down.

Best phrase to use is "needle in a haystack".

The Tower for you my lady !

Judy54
Best phrase to use is "needle in a haystack".

Doesn't mean the same thing, though.

Try 'a rotten apple' instead!

Best laugh I've had in weeks Hurdy!

God help us,
Really !

Oh gawd Hurdy!! What are you like?

I rather like 'Knickers in the woodpile'

???

Oh dear!

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Definitely a slapped wrist for you HurdyGurdy !!

That phrase of course has been outlawed for years but I suspect the majority of us who may have said it in the past meant no insult whatsoever to black people.

I remember a few years ago an elderly neighbour was describing how hard another neighbour had been working in his garden.

He said he had been working ‘like a n****r’

His horrified wife said “You can’t say that these days M”

It was said without any malice whatsoever but the phrase of course refers to the black slaves, so is unacceptable these days.

It was quite a common phrase to hear years ago though wasn’t it?

Just thought of another ‘black as the ace of spades’ my mother
said it , I said it to my daughters .

In my teens I had a relationship with a black S.A., my parents were very fond of him , no way were we racist. I googled it
this morning and it is racist, I thought it just meant the ace in a pack of playing cards.

Hurdy Gurdy, if we live and learn we are doing well. If only everyone learned from experience as you have done the world would be a better place.

JenniferEccles - "He said he had been working ‘like a n****r’"

Back in the early 70s, my auntie actually said that to her neighbour who was washing his car on a very hot day.

And yes, he was black. I don't know who was most embarrassed.

AnnieBach - "black as the ace of spades . . . .I thought it just meant the ace in a pack of playing cards."

So did I!!!

I am now going to Google and see how else I have been unwittingly racist!

I need a large stone to crawl under I think

The trouble is HurdyGurdy we almost need to Google on a daily basis as what is deemed acceptable to say changes so quickly.

When I started at primary school, we were taught a rhyme "Eeny meany miny mo, catch a n....r by the toe" & I imagine many of you were too! Appalling! I was 4 and a total innocent. However, I taught my own children " Catch a pixie by the toe", making it into a nonsense rhyme to preempt their learning the offensive one.
At least we are more aware now.

Thought nothing about that one way back did we? Taught to me by my granny.

My grandsons said catch a tigga by the toe much to my relief.

My weekend job was in a children’s home and my Dad used to refer to one little girl as a picaniny! She was 3 years old, part West Indian and part Japanese, really sweet natured and chatty.

For years I used to pray “let the petrol light shine amongst us” I remember furiously blushing when I realised my mistake though no one else was aware. Blushing used to be a real thing but we don’t really hear about it now!

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