Nigger in the woodpile In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "nigger in the woodpile", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

author Tommy Tran calendar 2021-12-12 10:12

Meaning of Nigger in the woodpile

Nigger in the woodpile American old-fashioned noun phrase

The word "woodpile" could be replaced by the word "fence."

Used for saying that there is something suspicious or wrong

When I arrived they stopped talking and stared at me. I guess there must be a nigger in the woodpile.

Other phrases about:

put no stock in (something)

To have no faith or confidence in something

not trust (someone) farther than (one) can throw (them)

To be extremely skeptical of someone
 

shady past

Used to indicate a dubious, suspicious, or potentially immoral or illegal past history.

shifty-looking

If you describe someone as shifty-looking, they seem dishonest, untrustworthy, or suspicious.

Origin of Nigger in the woodpile

Nigger in the woodpile. (Image Source: Alchetron)

This phrase dates back to the 1840s and 1850s when the Underground Railroad was at its peak. The phrase is thought to have originated from actual cases of escaped slaves being hidden behind piles of firewood during their journey north.

Another possible source for the phrase is the practice of transporting pulpwood on special railroad carts with an exterior frame and the wood packed within in quite neat rows and stacks. It was possible to smuggle people into the pile itself due to the nature of the cars.

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to look like a drowned rat

To be very wet

Example:

Because of forgetting bringing an umbrella, I look like a drowned rat when it rains.

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