Updating Our Language - Day 15
“Nitty gritty”
A possible origin of this phrase is to describe the conditions left in ships transporting enslaved people.
A nit is a louse egg, and grits are a grainy substance, both of which could potentially been found in the poor conditions of the ships. This phrase is banned from British politics due to these origins.
Throughout July we will be making posts about updating our language.
We live in a society that has normalized using many words and phrases with racist origins.
Part of the anti-racist work involves acknowledging you have used them, beginning the process of eliminating them from your vocabulary, and gently correcting others when you hear them used.
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