Meanings
plural niggers in the woodpile · plural niggers in woodpiles · alternative nigger in the wood-pile · alternative nigger in the wood pile
- datedethnicoffensiveslurA hidden motive, influence or factor; a concealed (potential) snag; something suspicious.
Democra s^([sic]) placed no nigger in the woodpile—the imputation came with a bad grace from the gentleman from Kosciusko.
1858 December 20, “The Huntington and Whitley Case”, in The Legislative Sentinel, volume I, number 14, page 1371 more example
(Bus traffic in the London area fell 33 per cent, although the total for public transport increased by 8 per cent; but private car journeys, the nigger in the public transport woodpile, went up 78 per cent in the decade).
1964 September, “News: BR role in London traffic patterns”, in Modern Railways, page 200Synonyms: nigger in the fence, Ethiopian in the woodpile, monkey in the woodpile
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA hidden motive, influence or factor; a concealed (potential) snag; something suspicious.
Origin
First attested in the 1840s.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish koira haudattuna, jotain mätää
- koira haudattunaTranslations
- jotain mätääTranslations
French anguille sous roche, couille
- anguille sous rocheTranslations
- couilleTranslations
German Kuckucksei
- KuckuckseiTranslations
Spanish gato encerrado
- gato encerradoTranslations
Cite this entry
nigger in the woodpile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nigger%20in%20the%20woodpile
“nigger in the woodpile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nigger%20in%20the%20woodpile. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nigger in the woodpile,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nigger%20in%20the%20woodpile.
Source: nigger in the woodpile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.