nigger in the woodpile

English

Alternative forms

nigger in the wood-pile
nigger in the wood pile

Etymology

First attested in the 1840s.[1] This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

nigger in the woodpile (plural niggers in the woodpile or niggers in woodpiles)

(offensive, ethnic slur) A hidden motive, influence or factor; a concealed (potential) snag; something suspicious.
- 1858 December 20, "The Huntington and Whitley Case", The Legislative Sentinel, Vol. I, No. 14, page 137.
  Democra s^[sic] placed no nigger in the woodpile—the imputation came with a bad grace from the gentleman from Kosciusko.
Synonym: nigger in the fence

Translations

Translations

Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
French: anguille sous roche (fr) f, (vulgar) couille (fr) f

German: please add this translation if you can
Russian: please add this translation if you can
Spanish: gato encerrado [2]

References

"nigger, n. and adj.", Phrases, P2b, Oxford English Dictionary Online (3rd ed. 2003), OUP.
Arturo Cuyás; Antonio Llano (1942) Appleton's New Spanish-English and Spanish-English Dictionary, 3^rd edition, New York, New York: D. Appleton-Century, pages 307 (Pt. 1), 254 (Pt. 2)

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