red hair 19th century image
T.Detwiler
Just always wondered. I know it is a racist term toward white's, but that's about it.
Answer
Peckerwood (or simply Wood) is a pejorative slang term coined in the 19th century by southern Black Americans to describe poor whites. Blacks saw blackbirds as a symbol of themselves, and the woodpecker as a representation of working class whites. They considered them loud and troublesome like the bird, often with red hair similar to the bird's red plumes. This word is still widely used by southern blacks to refer to southern whites.
In the 1940s, the abbreviated version "wood" entered California prison slang, originally meaning an Okie; but in about 1970 it became applied to white inmates as a whole, regardless of background. This has caused the symbol of the woodpecker to be used by white power skinheads. Many white supremacists identify themselves as peckerwoods, with women referred to as featherwoods. It is usually drawn with a long beak, sometimes drawn to resemble Woody Woodpecker. Sometimes the letters "PW" or "APW" (Peckerwood and American Peckerwood) is used. The peckerwood gangs are concentrated in Tujunga, where they trade in methamphetamine.
The exact etymological relationship between "peckerwood" and "woodpecker" is unclear. It is reported that in some Appalachian dialects, "peckerwood" is the normal word for "woodpecker" (possibly as part of a larger grammatical pattern); from this, it is speculated that speakers of other dialects may have applied this word to speakers of that dialect as a form of metonymic derision. (Cf. the speculated etymology of spic from "no spic English".)
Other uses
Peckerwood is also a place name in the musical Mame.
The prisoners' cemetery at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas is known as Peckerwood Cemetery.
The prisoners' cemetery at Sycamore Street and Bearkat Boulevard in Huntsville, Texas is known as Peckerwood Hill. The largest of many prisoner cemeteries operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, its formal name is the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery. The nickname came about because most of the prisoners buried there were poor whites. The 22-acre facility is still in use and has graves dating back to 1870. It is also the burial place of Kiowa Chief Satanta, imprisoned in 1871 by the United States after a raid on a wagon train.
Peckerwood Creek is a tributary of the Coosa River in Alabama. This has also been suggested as an origin of the pejorative.
In Robert Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin, the citizens of the Bible Belt are referred to as "peckerwoods" by their neighbours in the Islamic Republic to the north.
Peckerwood (or simply Wood) is a pejorative slang term coined in the 19th century by southern Black Americans to describe poor whites. Blacks saw blackbirds as a symbol of themselves, and the woodpecker as a representation of working class whites. They considered them loud and troublesome like the bird, often with red hair similar to the bird's red plumes. This word is still widely used by southern blacks to refer to southern whites.
In the 1940s, the abbreviated version "wood" entered California prison slang, originally meaning an Okie; but in about 1970 it became applied to white inmates as a whole, regardless of background. This has caused the symbol of the woodpecker to be used by white power skinheads. Many white supremacists identify themselves as peckerwoods, with women referred to as featherwoods. It is usually drawn with a long beak, sometimes drawn to resemble Woody Woodpecker. Sometimes the letters "PW" or "APW" (Peckerwood and American Peckerwood) is used. The peckerwood gangs are concentrated in Tujunga, where they trade in methamphetamine.
The exact etymological relationship between "peckerwood" and "woodpecker" is unclear. It is reported that in some Appalachian dialects, "peckerwood" is the normal word for "woodpecker" (possibly as part of a larger grammatical pattern); from this, it is speculated that speakers of other dialects may have applied this word to speakers of that dialect as a form of metonymic derision. (Cf. the speculated etymology of spic from "no spic English".)
Other uses
Peckerwood is also a place name in the musical Mame.
The prisoners' cemetery at Leavenworth Prison in Kansas is known as Peckerwood Cemetery.
The prisoners' cemetery at Sycamore Street and Bearkat Boulevard in Huntsville, Texas is known as Peckerwood Hill. The largest of many prisoner cemeteries operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, its formal name is the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery. The nickname came about because most of the prisoners buried there were poor whites. The 22-acre facility is still in use and has graves dating back to 1870. It is also the burial place of Kiowa Chief Satanta, imprisoned in 1871 by the United States after a raid on a wagon train.
Peckerwood Creek is a tributary of the Coosa River in Alabama. This has also been suggested as an origin of the pejorative.
In Robert Ferrigno's Prayers for the Assassin, the citizens of the Bible Belt are referred to as "peckerwoods" by their neighbours in the Islamic Republic to the north.
What were cosmetics like during the Victorian period?
tangerine
I know that for the most part, Victorian women wore little or no makeup. However, I've heard that Queen Alexandra of Britain was able to maintain her youthful appearance by using heavy makeup. What was Victorian makeup like and what did it consist of?
Answer
All right, let's see...
Women still used lye to dye their hair like they've been doing since Roman times, and it was widely done until the late 19th century. They did begin, however, in Victorian times to use zinc oxide to powder their faces rather than lead oxide because it was slightly less poisonous, though it was actually still (unbeknownst to them) just as dangerous.
They used lead and antimony sulfide as eyeshadow, a form of mercury, I think mercuric sulfide, to make their lips red, and would orally take supplements of belladonna or even nightshade to make their eyes appear sparkly. All of those things are harmful to ones health, even in moderation, but they for some reason failed to make the connection. Either that, or they just didn't care.
It was also popular to put egg whites on your faces and allow it to dry, creating what I would think to be a porcelain-like appearance.
The early Victorian period was pretty much the last period in history that make-up was heavily worn in Europe until later in the 20th century, because in conservative Victorian England, make-up was seen as devilry and unnatural, and therefore a sin.
All right, let's see...
Women still used lye to dye their hair like they've been doing since Roman times, and it was widely done until the late 19th century. They did begin, however, in Victorian times to use zinc oxide to powder their faces rather than lead oxide because it was slightly less poisonous, though it was actually still (unbeknownst to them) just as dangerous.
They used lead and antimony sulfide as eyeshadow, a form of mercury, I think mercuric sulfide, to make their lips red, and would orally take supplements of belladonna or even nightshade to make their eyes appear sparkly. All of those things are harmful to ones health, even in moderation, but they for some reason failed to make the connection. Either that, or they just didn't care.
It was also popular to put egg whites on your faces and allow it to dry, creating what I would think to be a porcelain-like appearance.
The early Victorian period was pretty much the last period in history that make-up was heavily worn in Europe until later in the 20th century, because in conservative Victorian England, make-up was seen as devilry and unnatural, and therefore a sin.
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Title Post: What is the origin for the word peckerwood?
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Rating: 92% based on 976 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Yukie
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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