Does the expression “call a spade a spade” have racist roots? Martha explains that it derives from an ancient Greek phrase, but cautions against its use nevertheless. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Call a Spade a Spade”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Paul Reed calling from Minneapolis.
Well, hello, Paul. Welcome to the show.
Thank you very much.
What can we do for you?
My wife and I were listening to the show one day and thought, well, what about that phrase, call a spade a spade? Want to know if that’s something that we can use confidently without having racial overtones? You know, there is some history of spade being a derogatory term. So where does call a spade a spade come from?
Well, you’ve asked two different questions, Paul. Let’s take the second part first. Where does it come from? The expression goes all the way back to ancient Greek, and it eventually got mistranslated a couple of times. And so when it ended up in English in the 16th century, it was to call a spade a spade. The original was more like to call a basin a basin or a bowl a bowl. There was some translation error or something, right?
Yeah, there was a translation error from the Greek via Latin. It means to call something what it is, right? To call a duck a duck, to speak plainly, in other words. The expression spade is an offensive term for a black person. We don’t see until the early 20th century, right, Grant?
Right, yeah. There’s a huge chronological gap there, so we know that they’re unrelated. However, there’s a big however there. Martha’s probably going to say the same thing that I would say. Right, which is that I just think it’s too risky to use that word now. I mean, I’m sort of someone who clings to etymologies and the stories behind the words. But even though you know the story behind this expression, which has nothing to do with offensive language, at this point, I think that expression is just too hot to handle.
I’m inclined to agree.
Yeah. There’s a fellow by the name of Garner, Brian Garner. We talk about him on the show every now and again. And he’s a lexicographer, and he’s written style guides and usage guides and edited Black’s Law Dictionary, and he’s got a term that we use for these. These are skunked words. It’s skunked, meaning it’s ruined for everyday use because you just can’t be sure that somebody isn’t going to misunderstand you.
Well, thanks for calling, Paul. I hope we’ve been some help.
You have been, and it’s been a real pleasure.
All right, take care.
Same here. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Well, if you’ve got a question about language, give us a call, 1-877-929-9673, and you can find us on the internet at waywordradio.org.
