Word Watch : Code Switch : NPR

What the reaction to Trump's felony conviction tells us about the word "felon" Jackie Lay hide caption

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Jackie Lay

Should we stop using the word "felon"?

June 12, 2024 • This week, we're turning our sights on the word "felon", and looking into what it tells us (and can't tell us) about the 19 million people in the U.S. — like Donald Trump and Hunter Biden — carrying that designation around.

Should we stop using the word "felon"?

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What Does It Mean To Call The Capitol Rioters 'Terrorists'?

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption

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Julio Cortez/AP

What Does It Mean To Call The Capitol Rioters 'Terrorists'?

January 14, 2021 • Some say it's the precise word to describe the actions of the pro-Trump extremists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. But others warn its use will do more harm than good.

LA Johnson/NPR

Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?

September 30, 2020 • Suffice it to say, we use the term "POC" a lot on Code Switch. But critiques of the initialism — and the popularization of the term "BIPOC" — caused us to ask: Should we retire POC? Or is there use in it yet?

Is It Time To Say R.I.P. To 'POC'?

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James Brown performs at KCOP Studios on the Lloyd Thaxton Show with Lloyd Thaxton in 1964. Brown helped popularize boogaloo-style dancing, shown here. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Analysis

Word Watch

Who Owns 'Boogaloo'?

May 31, 2020 • Long known as a fusion of Latin and soul sounds, boogaloo has been co-opted by right wing extremists as code for civil war. But fans of the music won't let the boogaloo die.

Dani Pendergast for NPR

Analysis

Word Watch

When The 'Hustle' Isn't Enough

April 3, 2020 • "Hustle" is just one of many buzzwords in a culture obsessed with productivity. But before the gig economy, hustling was tied up in both stereotypes and realities of working as a black person.

The gung-ho slogan adopted by some Marines became so well-known that it was turned into a 1943 movie. LMPC/Getty Images hide caption

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Analysis

Word Watch

The Long, Strange Journey Of 'Gung-Ho'

October 18, 2019 • The word "gung-ho" used to mean "industrial cooperative." So, how did it come to describe that overeager middle-schooler taking high school math? On today's edition of Word Watch, we explore.

Some 'Podunk' Town In The Middle Of Nowhere

Cows graze in a field in the Podunk section of East Brookfield, Mass. Christopher Fitzgerald/AP hide caption

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Christopher Fitzgerald/AP

Word Watch

Some 'Podunk' Town In The Middle Of Nowhere

September 20, 2019 • "Podunk" is supposed to be bleak and isolated. But there are a few things that people who use the term might not know. For one, it really exists. For another, its history predates the United States.

What Do You Call The 'Anniversary' Of A Disaster?

Delphine Lee/NPR

Word Watch

What Do You Call The 'Anniversary' Of A Disaster?

August 30, 2019 • It's been 400 years since the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia. But don't call this month an "anniversary."

Brunch Query: What Does It Really Mean To 'Go Dutch'?

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Analysis

Word Watch

Brunch Query: What Does It Really Mean To 'Go Dutch'?

August 16, 2019 • On this week's Word Watch, we take a look at how the term "going Dutch" went from insult to the norm.

The Racial Roots Behind The Term 'Nappy'

Mai Ly Degnan for NPR

Analysis

Word Watch

The Racial Roots Behind The Term 'Nappy'

August 9, 2019 • Where does the term "nappy" come from and why does it have such negative connotations? Is it possible to reclaim a word that has been used as a slur for so long?

Primary Season Is Here And 'Hispandering' Is Back

Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (third from left) speaks as Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar look on during the first night of the Democratic presidential debate, Wednesday in Miami. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Word Watch

Primary Season Is Here And 'Hispandering' Is Back

June 27, 2019 • It wouldn't be an election without a good, old-fashioned, racially charged pun.

Primary Season Is Here And 'Hispandering' Is Back

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Cry me a river, because I cried a river over you. Martin Leigh/Getty Images hide caption

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Opinion

Word Watch

When The 'White Tears' Just Keep Coming

November 28, 2018 • The phrase is meant as a gentle poke at white people who take offense at minor threats to their privilege. "Sometimes it feels good just to make fun of racism and of racists," one humorist says.

When The 'White Tears' Just Keep Coming

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Civil rights activists are blocked by National Guardsmen brandishing bayonets while trying to stage a protest on Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Why Is It Still OK To 'Trash' Poor White People?

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