A cracker is not a slave owner or overseer cracking a whip. Writing from your local perspective on nonlocal pages. One theory is that it refers to the cracked corn that was a major part of the diet of poor southern whites. Add hoosier to one of your lists below, or create a new one. Other indiana businesses use hoosier in the name of their companies. Cracker was a derogatory term applied to these poor farmers from before the american revolution. As a last name hoosier was the 18,448 th most popular name in 2010. English chinese french german hindi italian portuguese spanish. In order to create the map above, we used a layered, multistep approach. Hoosier synonyms, hoosier pronunciation, hoosier translation, english dictionary definition of hoosier.
Central indianas dialect, or pronunciation, is similar, but slightly less of a drawl, to what one may encounter in southern indiana. The definition of a hoosier is a nickname for someone from the state of indiana or a fan of indiana university athletics. Louis, however, the word has a different, more derogatory meaning. An alumnus of indiana university an uneducated, tasteless caucasian. If you would like to suggest a term or an update to an existing one. When was the first name hoosier first recorded in the united states. Dictionary grammar blog school scrabble thesaurus translator quiz more resources more from collins. All of our slang term and phrase definitions are made possible by our wonderful visitors. Code switch where does the slur cracker come from, anyway. Indiana has three regions that affect the dialect andor accent placed on words. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been written and compiled by the slangit team. Hoosier definition of hoosier by the free dictionary. It is a farmers who raised only cracked products, such as wheat and corn.
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. Born william bailey on february 6, 1962 in lafayette, indiana, our hoosier hero axl rose turns 42 today. White trash is a derogatory american english slur referring to poor white people, especially in the rural southern united states. It is sometimes used in a neutral context in reference to a native of florida, georgia or texas see florida cracker, georgia cracker or texas cracker. What is the origin of the slang word cracker answers. We are constantly updating our database with new slang terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. Its safe to conclude the hoosher and hoosier nickname adopted by indiana residents and for them by their nearby neighbors was derived from the dialect term probably traceable from england not uncommon among southern immigrants to indiana and the ohio valley several years before john finley arrived and penned his famous poem the hoosiers nest. For some locals, hoosier is the epithet of choice for condemning anyone perceived as less cultured, intelligent, and urbane than oneself. Louis amounts to slang, which is defined as the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. This page explains what the slang term cracker means. A native or inhabitant of indiana taken from oxford american dictionary. In an article published at the turn of the century by the indiana. Hoosier wordreference english dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. Hoosier plural hoosiers a native or resident of the u.
Yet hoosier, the folksy and ambiguous moniker, has for decades been snubbed by the federal government as. Ask this question anywhere besides here, and youll be told that a hoosier is simply someone from indiana. No one has any idea why a person from indiana is called a hoosier. Indiana permits are honored in neighboring michigan and kentucky, so hoosier travelers can carry weapons. Written uses of the word date back at least as far as 1827.
Hoosier definition and meaning collins english dictionary. But it turns out cracker s roots go back even further than the 17th century. Hoosier meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. It was the first time a hoosier swimmer had broken the world record. First, he theorized that the word migrated up from the south as a slang term used for uncouth countrymen this is the theory. All the way back to the age of shakespeare, at least. A native or resident of the american state of indiana. Origin of the name indiana hoosiers new, 4 comments there is a lot of debate about the origin, meaning, and use of the word hoosier, so i took the opportunity to do some. Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial epithet for white people, used especially for poor rural whites in the southern united states. Information and translations of hoosier state in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Hoosier definition in the cambridge english dictionary. There are many theories on why people from indiana are called hoosiers.
The meaning of the word has changed a lot over the last four. As the athletic nickname of indiana university bloomington, the hoosier is the subject of debate, primarily concerning the terms meaning and origin. Hoosier, now spelled ubiquitously hoo s ier, as well as several other phonetical versions, can be traced back to the american south, where it was used as a derogatory term for uneducated, uncouth people. Indiana definition most common and nationally recognized definition. Crackers definition of crackers by the free dictionary. The word itself and its most common definition have its origins in the state of indiana also known as the hoosier state, though the word has taken on regional meanings outside of indiana, most. Visit the indiana history blog or listen to the talking hoosier history podcast to learn more about the origins of the word hoosier. Jacob piatt dunn, a thorough scholar of the word, believes in a saxon beginning, and such a meaning survives in various place names in england. Whether youre a student, an educator, or a lifelong learner, can put you on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate within the state, but. According to the indiana historical bureau, the term gained popularity in the state after the indianapolis journal published the hoosiers nesta poem by john finley, of virginiain 1833. Pov, including this definitionusage is definitely point of view.
This page is a digital version of an early ihb publication of the same title. It was during these early days that bob had a vision to produce his own tires specifically designed for racing. Generally means redneck, hick, or someone from missouri outside of st. Hoosier definition is a native or resident of indiana used as a nickname. The oldest recorded birth by the social security administration for the name hoosier is thursday, february 7th, 1907. Hoosier definition, a native or inhabitant of indiana used as a nickname. According to jeffrey graf, a librarian at indiana university, the word hoosier most probably originated as a derogatory term in the upland south comprising states such as north carolina, tennessee, virginia, kentucky, and west virginia used for a clumsy, ungraceful person of low economic status, not unlike the terms cracker, redneck. So in 1957 bob and joyce began their own business in an old abandoned horse barn in south bend, indiana selling tires to local racers. One is that a contractor named samuel hoosier preferred to hire laborers from indiana rather than. Another theory is that the term refers to whips that crackers used to drive slaves or cattle.
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