Uncle Tom
10
9.9
- noun
- /ˈʌŋkəl tɑm/
- Slur
- Critics often labeled the politician an Uncle Tom for his favorable policies towards white voters.
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Watch on YouTubeBut seriously, though, I'm nobody's Uncle Tom, right?
- But seriously, though, I'm nobody's Uncle Tom, right?
- And the answer I get back is these people are Uncle Toms.
- And, and, and there's all these poor middle class policemen that they spit in and then there's Al Byron, Donald's come here and they call him Uncle Tom and a traitor.
- Donald's come here and they call him Uncle Tom and a traitor, this Middle Eastern students and they shout, you know, go back to Poland or the Final Solution.
Examples
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Behind closed doors, Atlanta University students labeled Walden an "Uncle Tom," a derogatory reference for blacks who acted overly obsequious around whites.
Academic text (2007) -
Many Black conservatives always seem to grow silent when labeled an Uncle Tom.
Blog text (1) -
One even called him an Uncle Tom.
Blog text (22) -
In the second film, a character who said positive things about Colin Powell is called an Uncle Tom.
Academic text (2003) -
Almost before Walden had finished his speech, however, calls of "Uncle Tom" rose from the crowd of students.
Academic text (2007) -
You called Ollie an Uncle Tom, and were called out about that about a month ago to answer for that.
Blog text (30) -
We aren't about to lift a finger to do anything that might give this Uncle Tom a chance to win.
Blog text (11) -
I am not surprised that members of the Log Cabin Republicans are offended by my comparing them to Uncle Tom.
Blog text (9) -
Osgood Williams, a Fulton County civil court judge during the 1960s, remembered that "younger blacks looked upon Walden as an 'Uncle Tom' because they had forgotten that you first had to have somebody during that period to develop the power."
Academic text (2007) -
She felt hurt when her friends referred to her as an Uncle Tom because she supported integration.
How Subservient
- Slur
10
9.9
2
9.1
- Offensive
15
9.3
17
7.6
- Formal
1
7.7
146
1.1
336
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
Uncle + Tom
The meaning of 'Uncle Tom' depends on culturally and historically specific knowledge of the character in Uncle Tom's Cabin and the ensuing pejorative usage; neither 'uncle' nor the name 'Tom' convey the sense of excessive subservience. A B1 learner who only knows the literal constituent words would not predict this insulting, idiomatic meaning without prior exposure, so it is not compositional.
Etymology
The term Uncle Tom comes from the famous book 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', where a Black slave named Tom is shown as very loyal and obedient to the white people who owned him. Over time people began using Uncle Tom as an insult for a Black person seen as 'too obedient' to white people, so today it is an offensive word.