Alphabetical Entries: T
104 entries found.
Treasury agent.
woman or man.
this formerly male custom has all but disappeared; the term is used metaphorically and inclusively today.
nonsexist; the "man" is not sex-linked but comes from a Greek word for "consecration ceremony." The plural is talismans.
a doll made of tar and turpentine, Tar Baby was used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in one of the Uncle Remus stories. The more Br'er Rabbit fought the Tar Baby, the more entangled he became. Since then, a tar baby has referred to a sticky situation that only gets worse the harder you try to fix it. Although the term originated in African folklore and the Uncle Remus stories were told in a manner acceptable (that is, not racist) to many people of the time, by the mid-20th century, the dialect and the "old Uncle" stereotype of the narrator, long considered demeaning by many blacks, as well as Harris's racist and patronizing attitudes toward blacks (he was white) and his defense of slavery in his foreword, rendered the book indefensible to many. When the stories were recently reissued with more acceptable illustrations, one critic wrote, "Isn't it just like liberals to diminish genuine racial and cultural diversity in the name of respecting it?" Actually, it's not liberals as much as some African Americans who find the stories demeaning. It's only fair to say that other African Americans are pleased that the folktales were collected and saved—and they are, considered out of context, rather delightful. The bottom line? Avoid Tar Baby until further notice.
if you mean prostitute, use prostitute. If you mean a woman considered to be sexually promiscuous, consider describing her behavior factually rather than labeling her judgmentally. (Originally tart was used as an endearment, much as "honey" or "sugar" is used.) See also prostitute.
supervisor, boss, job boss, task sergeant, disciplinarian, inspector, instructor, overseer, monitor, martinet, surveyor, superintendent, director, manager, employer. For discussion of master words, see master (n.).
taxi driver.
tax collector/inspector/agent/preparer/consultant.
the dangerous myth that women are "teasing" when they say no to a man's advances has been responsible for much grief, criminal behavior, and even murder. The notion of woman-as-tease is often in the eye (and elsewhere) of the beholder.
acceptable age-specific terms, although less acceptable in generalizations; young people (the preferred term) reject a one-size-fits-all label and particularly dislike being called kids, girls and boys/boys and girls, youths, adolescents, juveniles, or teenyboppers (which is also sexist, as it's reserved for girls). Older teens can be called young adults, and secondary students can be called high schoolers. One career teacher addresses his high school students as scholars. See also adolescent, ageism, juvenile, youth.
U.S.-born person of Mexican descent living in Texas; use for those who self-identify this way.
man or woman.
short for temporary worker/employee, this informal term applies to both men and women, although since women make up the majority of temporary office workers, it is likely to be perceived as female.
this term is probably better avoided. Although it was meant to be a reminder that we are all able-bodied only until we are not, and that therefore providing access and avoiding discrimination will eventually be useful to us all, it is not, strictly speaking, true: not everyone becomes disabled in some way. Some disability activists feel it is more threatening than community-building. It is also problematic in that one group (those with disabilities) has labeled another group, which does not self-identify this way.
tempter. See also feminine word endings.
with the exception of blatantly terroristic acts, like the bombing of a civilian airliner, the use of "terrorist" varies according to the writer's perspective. A terrorist in one situation might be a freedom fighter, guerrilla, resistant, or commando in another. "This has become a code word for Arabs. When using it we can mask anti-Arab statements and politics while ignoring the terrorist acts of white people and European and U.S. governments, such as the bombings of civilian areas in Panama and Iraq" (Paul Kivel, Uprooting Racism). From Creating Just Language: to create or reinforce prejudices, a useful tool of governments is to demonize their enemies as terrorists. "The English would have called the rebellious colonists 'terrorists,' while the colonists would have called themselves 'freedom fighters.' The term is always applied to the less powerful adversaries and promulgated by the more powerful to cultivate disdain for the enemy. Unfortunately, once the term 'terrorist' is applied to a group of individuals with similar ethnic origins, the negative reverberations spill over to all persons of that particular ethnic background. There is seldom, if any, analysis of which of the adversaries are the real terrorists." Don Irish (in North Country Peace Builder) says, "Killing those labeled terrorists will not end terrorism, unless the despair which recruits them is addressed. Terrorists do not arise in a vacuum! There are reasons for their existence. They have personal hopes, dreams, and talents which are unfulfilled. They do not become suicide bombers willy-nilly, not caring for life. They have families whom they love and are loved by. If they don't have tanks, helicopters, bombers, and so on for physical opposition, they use what they have—rocks, or homemade bombs, or their bodies. Ultimately, the dominant group must deal with the real problems rather than the terrorism, which is a symptom." Reserve "terrorist" for those who create terror in the lives of others, killing bystanders and destroying infrastructure, but use it for all sides of a conflict when it is deserved.
nonsexist; terms like testimony, protest, New Testament, and testicles all come from the Latin testari meaning to testify or to witness (the word "testes" developed as a supposed "witness" to virility). The connection between testes and testimony was reinforced by the old Roman custom whereby men swore oaths by laying a hand on their genitals while women swore by their breast. (Freud was puzzled as to how women, not fearing castration, developed a conscience.)
a young woman who used this expression with classmates explained that it means only, "That's so stupid, that's so silly, that's so dumb." But Morgan Kroll (The Advocate) says, "Many don't think 'That's so gay' is so innocuous," and Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, agrees: "It's not about this one student—it's about a pervasive and serious problem that far too few schools are addressing."
most writers no longer use "the" before countries like Ukraine, Congo, and Sudan. Michelle Dzulynsky (in Copy Editor), says, "Ukrainians do get irate when the article the is added in front of Ukraine because of the many years our people and our nation were forced to be a part of the Soviet Union. It may seem petty, but to a nation that struggled for many years to have its voice heard or even its identity recognized" the small difference is important. The next time you see "Ukraine" in print, note that there is no "the" there.
when used before adjectives to make a noun phrase (the elderly, the poor, the blind, the homeless, the aged, the disabled), "the" is disparaging and objectifying, and it reduces people to an anthropological category; it also betrays the writer or speaker as an outsider. Couple the adjective with an accurate and specific noun (elderly residents, poor taxpayers, blind students). "'The,' followed by an adjectival noun stereotypes and renders a diverse group of people as generic. It was a powerful tool then ('the Jews'), and is today. People disappear behind the label 'the.' ... Reducing people to labels is the first step toward prejudicial behavior. Person-first language, as in 'Americans with Disabilities' and 'person with cerebral palsy' help everyone see the person first" (Harold A. Maio, in American Libraries). See also adjectives as nouns.
see nigger/nigga.
although dictionaries define "therapy" using "treatment," and vice versa, the two terms differ slightly. Therapy is often long-term with no clear-cut ending. Treatment is shorter, more directed to a particular outcome, and is usually curative. For example, contrast talk therapy with medication treatment for depression, or occupational therapy with antibiotics following an injury.