cotton curtain
n.— «When the cotton curtain stood between us, and people were hateful and mean, I was here. When we didn’t have public accommodations, I was here. When the doors of opportunity had never been opened, I was here. When it was time to get the right to vote, I was here.» —“Reporter’s Notebook: Jackson In South” by Fay S. Joyce in Atlanta, Georgia New York Times Mar. 12, 1984. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Sean in Oneonta, New York, says that when he was growing up in New Jersey, his family would pile in the car and set off on a surprise adventure, whether a short distance or long, and the kids would be told only that they were going on Buxtehude...
Joan from Augusta, Georgia, says her grandfather used to pronounce the word onions as if they were spelled ernions. The word onion is adapted from the French cognate oignon, and thanks to variations in dialect, geography, and other factors, this...