Etymology

Jim Crow

Today it means: A World War II code name for patrols along the British coastline to intercept enemy aircraft, originally intended to warn of an invasion in 1940. Full definition →

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The story

From the minstrel show song Jump Jim Crow, written in 1828 by Thomas D. Rice, the originator of blackface performance.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.