tar baby
A difficult, abstract problem that worsens as one attempts to handle itA difficult, abstract problem that worsens as one attempts to handle it; a sticky situation, especially one where attempts to make it better only make it worse.
Meaning
2 senses(US)A difficult, abstract problem that worsens as one attempts to handle it; a sticky situation, especially one where attempts to make it better only make it worse.
(derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur)A black person.
Origin
Referring to a doll made of tar and turpentine to entrap Br'er Rabbit in one of Joel ChandReferring to a doll made of tar and turpentine to entrap Br'er Rabbit in one of Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus stories, published in 1881, from earlier African American folklore, from earlier African (e.g. Kongo) folklore, influenced in America by similar stories from various unrelated Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee, Alabama, Koasati, and Apache. (Similar stories are found throughout the world, e.g. among the Mixtec and Zapotec.)
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: tar babies| Singular | tar baby |
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| Plural | tar babies |
regular
Word family
9 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.