n. 1. See Spanish-English translations with audio pronunciations, examples, and word-by-word explanations. the context of the use of "tar baby" indicates the meaning was a problem that only gets worse the more you handle it. 2. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a black person, especially a dark-skinned black child. 1 informal A difficult problem that is only aggravated by attempts to solve it. Referring to a doll made of tar and turpentine to entrap Br'er Rabbit in one of Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus stories, published 1881. The Tar-Baby is a fictional character in the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit.The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. tar baby - Spanish translation – Linguee Look up in Linguee as pointed out in my top post - the DC city council attempted to "tar and feather" an accountant for using the term "niggardly". Noun . 2. ... After Morrison published Tar Baby … In modern usage, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. I am interested in knowing its meaning and origin. Definition of Tar-Baby in the Definitions.net dictionary. Harris’ “Tar-Baby” (1879), one of the animal tales told by the character Uncle Remus, is but one example of numerous African-derived tales In his book Coup, John Updike says of a white woman who prefers the company of black men, "some questing chromosome within holds her sexually fast to the tar baby." Tar Baby is also a name [...] that white people call black children, black girls, as I recall. In modern usage, tar baby refers to a problematic situation that is only aggravated by additional involvement with it. A inextricable situation or difficult and pressing problem that often grows worse as one tries to deal with it. noun. Tar baby definition is - something from which it is nearly impossible to extricate oneself. Your attempt to reach down (way down) past vernacular usage to discover racism is noted - and rejected. by Would you like to know how to translate Tar-Baby to other languages? Meaning of Tar-Baby. It held together things like Moses' little boat and the pyramids. For this reason, it is best not to use the term tar baby. Posted by Masakim on September 21, 2001. tar baby n. 1. A inextricable situation or difficult and pressing problem that often grows worse as one tries to deal with it. tar baby - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. Noun . It comes from a children's story in which the dark skin and seeming ignorance (caused by a lack of schooling) of slaves were explained by the idea that black children were baptised in tar, which made them dark and dumb. In modern usage, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. In Reply to: Tar baby posted by ESC on September 21, 2001: : At a meeting recently, someone used the phrase "tar baby." 5 letter words made by unscrambling the letters in tarbaby. Search tar baby and thousands of other words in English definition and synonym dictionary from Reverso. Abay Arab Baby. Araby. Note that tar baby was once hyphenated, as in tar-baby, but the Oxford English Dictionary now lists the term as two separate, unhyphenated words. The Tar-Baby is a fictional character in the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit.The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes. Many translated example sentences containing "tar baby" – Spanish-English dictionary and search engine for Spanish translations. 2009, Mitt Romney (speech in Ames, Iowa) Meaning of tar baby in English: tar baby. Referring to a doll made of tar and turpentine to entrap Br'er Rabbit in one of Joel Chandler Harris's Uncle Remus stories, published 1881. English Dictionary. All Free. tar baby (plural tar babies) (chiefly US) A difficult, abstract problem that worsens as one attempts to handle it. At one time, a tar pit was a holy place, at least an important place, because tar was used to build things. Meaning of tar baby in English: tar baby. tar + baby, from African American folklore, popularized by the tale of Br'er Rabbit in the Uncle Remus stories (1881) of Joel Chandler Harris, originally from Cherokee folklore (a tar baby story was published in the Cherokee Advocate, 1845). Tar baby is one of those intermediate cases: The basic meaning is the folkloric one, while a derived meaning, known only to a segment of American English speakers (and to … English Wikipedia has an article on: Etymology. Information and translations of Tar-Baby in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Tar baby. The Tar-Baby is the second of the Uncle Remus stories published in 1881; it is about a doll made of tar and turpentine used by the villainous Br'er Fox to entrap Br'er Rabbit.The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes.