Colored People Time
1
9.9
- noun
- Slur
- She apologized for arriving late, saying she was running on Colored People Time.
Examples
-
References to Colored People Time are now widely criticized as perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
-
The meeting started late, and everyone joked it must be Colored People Time.
-
He always jokes about Colored People Time when we plan events.
-
Some people believe in the concept of Colored People Time.
-
Many people find it offensive when someone mentions Colored People Time in casual conversation.
-
During the discussion, he mentioned that joking about Colored People Time can reinforce negative stereotypes.
-
While some people may laugh about Colored People Time, it is important to recognize its problematic implications.
Synonyms
1
9.6
A relaxed view of time in Puerto Rico where events often start later than planned
1
9.5
A relaxed way of keeping time when people often arrive later than planned
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although the constituent words 'colored', 'people', and 'time' are individually transparent, the phrase encodes a culturally specific, pejorative stereotype meaning 'habitual lateness attributed to Black people' that cannot be predicted from the literal parts. A B1 learner who knows the words but lacks cultural/contextual knowledge would not derive this offensive idiomatic sense, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Colored People Time plays on the words Colored, People, and Time to picture a relaxed idea of 'time' in some Black communities, where events often start later than scheduled. So it came to mean 'being late', but the phrase is a hurtful stereotype and is considered offensive.