The debate is either it refers to a racoon or a racial slur. Can anyone shed light on this phrase?
2007-01-13 18:45:59 · 6 answers · asked by Thomas G 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
In my neck of the woods this expression is used frequently .I had always assumed it meant the life span of a raccoon. I never thought about it ever being a racial slur.At any rate I don't know how long a coon lives but when used as an expression it's a very long time.
2007-01-13 18:58:01 · answer #1 · answered by Debbie O 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not the first to have questions about this phrase. Debate has continued for years.
One school of thought says that this phrase originated in the early 1800s--referring to the racoon's life span. (I believe it can be found in some writings of this day.) People thought that they were hearty animals and lived a long time. I guess to them, a couple of years in the wild was a long time.
Another school of thought says that it is based on a racial slur. This goes back to I believe the early 1900s. I'm unsure of the particulars, but there are references to this slur in some spirituals. Off the top of my head, I can't tell you the exact ones.
You can probably find research out on both sides of the debate by going to www.ask.com and asking your question.--Great on-line research device.
If I had to guess which school of thought is probably correct, I say the latter. It probably started out as a racial slur, and people some knowing and others not knowing continued the expression to this day.
2007-01-14 04:52:45 · answer #2 · answered by Rahab 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It just means raccoon. Where I live, we have a lot of them, as they love the woodlands. So, even though I live in a border state where people have "southern" accents, when they mention "coons," I have no doubt that they are talking about the cute little varmint known as the raccoon.
2016-05-23 23:31:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It just means a very long time. Not a racial slur. Southern slang.
2007-01-15 14:02:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My best friend's dad says this all the time. Everytime I walk into her house he says "Girl! I haven't seen you in a coon's age!" As far as I know there is nothing at all offensive about this quote. It just means "in a long time."
2007-01-14 20:18:37 · answer #5 · answered by Jessica LeAnn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have heard this expression and it was never in a racial context...
It generally meant" in a very long time"...........
2007-01-13 18:59:29 · answer #6 · answered by LeftField360 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋