I saw this poster today on the window of an insurance agent. People should be more careful about what words they put on posters because the word niggle sounds too close to a racial slur, despite being etymologically unrelated. The word niggle, according to Wiktionary, was first attested in 1599; origin is uncertain, but likely from Old Norse nigla and/or nugla, meaning to fuss over small matters. Niggle is however related to the word niggardly, which is also unrelated to the N-word. But then again, would you ask a black waitress not to be niggardly with the coffee? Before you do, remember that you have to pass the N-word to get to the 'dly' part. Back in 1999, a man named David Howard used the word niggardly when discussing a budget and after a black guy in the audience filed a complaint, Howard resigned from his position ten days later. So think before you speak. Obeying that one simple rule can get you very far in life.
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2 May 2013
Who you calling niggle?
I saw this poster today on the window of an insurance agent. People should be more careful about what words they put on posters because the word niggle sounds too close to a racial slur, despite being etymologically unrelated. The word niggle, according to Wiktionary, was first attested in 1599; origin is uncertain, but likely from Old Norse nigla and/or nugla, meaning to fuss over small matters. Niggle is however related to the word niggardly, which is also unrelated to the N-word. But then again, would you ask a black waitress not to be niggardly with the coffee? Before you do, remember that you have to pass the N-word to get to the 'dly' part. Back in 1999, a man named David Howard used the word niggardly when discussing a budget and after a black guy in the audience filed a complaint, Howard resigned from his position ten days later. So think before you speak. Obeying that one simple rule can get you very far in life.
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