July 12th, 2013 → 6:25 am @ Lea // No Comments

“What craker is this same that deafs our ears
With this abundance of superfluous breath?”  – King John

I recently came across a discussion of the origin of the slur “cracker” (which took place because a witness in the George Zimmerman murder trial testified that Trayvon Martin referred to Zimmerman as a “creepy-ass cracker”).  To my surprise, the earliest use of the term is apparently Shakespeare (!), in the quote above.  Who knew we could thank Shakespeare for such treasures as “hobnob,” “madcap,” “bloodstained,” and yes, also “cracker.”