{"id":30952,"date":"2014-03-26T00:10:51","date_gmt":"2014-03-26T07:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/?p=30952"},"modified":"2017-11-04T02:01:35","modified_gmt":"2017-11-04T09:01:35","slug":"police-officers-sometimes-called-pigs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.todayifoundout.com\/index.php\/2014\/03\/police-officers-sometimes-called-pigs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Police Officers are Sometimes Called “Pigs” and Why “Poindexter” is Slang for “Nerd”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"police\"<\/a>Why Police Officers are Sometimes Called “Pigs”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike so many other nicknames for the police, such as cops and the fuzz, this particular term has a relatively well known origin. You see, starting around the sixteenth century \u201cpig\u201d began being used in English as a derogatory term for people, whether police or not, as it still sometimes is used today.<\/p>\n

It took about three more centuries, but this particular insult inevitably became a popular nickname for oft-insulted police officers, with the first documented reference to this being in the Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit and Pickpocket Eloquence, published in London in 1811.<\/p>\n

In it, the pertinent line in question is: \u201cThe pigs frisked my panney, and nailed my screws.\u201d Meaning: \u201cThe officers searched my house, and seized my picklocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"poindexter\"<\/a>Why “Poindexter” is Slang for “Nerd”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPoindexter\u201d as a slang name for a nerdy person comes from a particularly memorable stereotypically nerdy character in the cartoon Felix the Cat. The character in question is the nephew of Felix\u2019s archenemy, the Professor, who is, of course, named Poindexter.<\/p>\n

Poindexter was first introduced to the masses in 1959 in the cartoon version of Felix the Cat<\/em> shown on TV. Over the years, he has typically been depicted in a lab coat, wearing thick glasses, and otherwise personifying stereotypical nerdom in all its glory.<\/p>\n

Despite having been around for decades, it took another Hollywood creation to really get the popularity of this slang term firmly implanted into common vernacular, rather than as a fringe moniker for nerds. This occurred in the mid-1980s thanks to the character of Arnold Poindexter in the 1984 Revenge of the Nerds<\/em>. Since then, \u201cPoindexter\u201d has been a relatively popular moniker for anyone who exhibits extremely nerdy tendencies.<\/p>\n

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy our new popular podcast, The BrainFood Show (iTunes<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, Google Play Music<\/a>, Feed<\/a>), as well as:<\/p>\n