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redlegs

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Poor white people in the Caribbean, especially Barbados

noun

Slur

: [término ofensivo para blancos pobres del Caribe]

Many redlegs struggled with poverty and harsh living conditions in colonial Barbados.

Examples

In Barbados, redlegs faced many hardships during the colonial period.
Historians have studied the origins and lives of the redlegs in the Caribbean.
The plantation owners often looked down on the redlegs who worked in the fields.
The term redlegs refers to a specific group in Caribbean history.
The plantation owners often looked down on the redlegs who worked in the fields.
Many redlegs struggled with poverty and harsh living conditions in colonial Barbados.
In Barbados, redlegs faced many hardships during the colonial period.

Surface Forms

redlegs plural

Morphology

redlegs = redleg (semi-transparent) = red + leg + s

Formed from 'red' + 'leg' and pluralized; the literal components are clear but the term refers to a specific historical social group, which is not fully predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Redlegs comes from the simple parts red and legs. One popular story says the name described poor white workers in the Caribbean whose legs often looked 'red' from sun and hard work, so people used redlegs for those poor white people in places like Barbados.