What have we stopped noticing?
The things we say, do, and accept without thinking twice.
Look closer where it comes from, what it assumes, and the case for keeping it
What you mean by it
The practical, essential details.
The story you may have heard
A widely shared claim holds that the phrase referred to debris in the holds of slave ships.
What the record actually shows
No evidence supports this. The earliest known print uses are from the 1930s and 40s, more than a century after the transatlantic trade ended. Nobody knows where it comes from.
Worth knowing
The claim surfaced around 2002, when British police forces were reported to be discouraging the phrase.
Why it still matters
“Origin unknown” is not the same as “origin innocent”. But an unsupported story shouldn't be passed along as fact.
Where this comes from
- Nitty-gritty · The Phrase Finder
- Nitty-gritty · World Wide Words