Where did the word picnic come from

A picnic is a meal taken outdoors al fresco as part of an excursionespecially in scenic surroundings, such as a parklakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding an open-air theater performance, [1] and usually in summer or spring.

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe. Frederick Douglass. Is it true that the word picnic originally came from the word pick-a-nig or pick-a-nigger? Apparently, a black person was randomly "picked" and hanged for the entertainment of whites. The whites, including families, ate from box lunches while enjoying the barbaric act.

Where did the word picnic come from

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'picnic. Send us feedback about these examples. German or French; German Picknick , from French pique-nique. Accessed 3 Mar. Nglish: Translation of picnic for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: Translation of picnic for Arabic Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! See Definitions and Examples ». Dictionary Definition. Log In.

Retrieved 14 July Many picnics today are a form of potluck, where guests bring casseroles, pies and dips.

How do we have these necessary conversations about language without sounding like the language police? The idea was surprising to many, but old news to others. Etymologically speaking , picnic — from the French words pique-nique — is nothing more than a potluck dinner. Yet when Southern white people made lynchings a regular occurrence at picnics, the word took on a different meaning for Black Americans. And a global pandemic disproportionately killing people of color coupled with the unjust deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd have left many Americans asking: How did we get here? The answer: systemic racism. Elizabeth Wellington.

This word is from French pique-nique , probably formed with reduplication from the verb piquer , to pick. Another explanation is that the second element is the noun nique , of imitative origin and meaning small thing of little or no value. En vers burlesque The charming effects of barricades, or the lasting friendship of the Company of the Bacchic brothers of Pique-nique. In burlesque verse. This pamphlet celebrates the end of the first Fronde, an insurrection against Mazarin and the court during the minority of Louis XIV, which was a period a food scarcity in Paris under siege.

Where did the word picnic come from

Detail of Bayeux Tapestry: William at the battle of Hastings. Image by Myrabella, , licensed under Creative Commons. Men, women, and children sitting on blankets and eating and drinking in a bucolic setting.

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Lexington: The University of Kentucky Press, p. Some picnics are a potluck , where each person contributes a dish for all to share. White was pure. Authority control databases : National Germany. Word of the Day. In a black man was lynched in Greenville, Mississippi. London: Hambledon Press. If we want change, we have to get out the vote. In , a white man in Oxford, Mississippi declared that it was "about time to have another lynching. Not necessarily. Question Is it true that the word picnic originally came from the word pick-a-nig or pick-a-nigger? For other uses, see Picnic disambiguation. We want our history to be built on truths.

The first picnics were a favourite pastime of the aristocracy, and purely indoor affairs.

There, on a slope of orchard, Francis laid A damask napkin wrought with horse and hound, Brought out a dusky loaf that smelt of home, And, half-cut-down, a pasty costly-made, Where quail and pigeon, lark and leveret lay, Like fossils of the rock, with golden yolks Imbedded and injellied; last, with these, A flask of cider from his father's vats, Prime, which I knew; and so we sat and ate And talked old matters over; who was dead, Who married, who was like to be, and how. Some picnics are a potluck , where each person contributes a dish for all to share. Elizabeth Wellington. In The Oxford Companion to Food , Alan Davidson offers hard-boiled eggs, sandwiches and pieces of cold chicken as good examples. A white writer said, "Everything was very orderly, there was not a shot, but much laughing and hilarious excitemen Related Event Planning Tips. Picnic Block party Subway party Tailgate party. French aristocrats fled to other Western countries , bringing their picnicking traditions with them. In English, "picnic" only began to refer to an outdoor meal at the beginning of the 19th century. Take the opportunity to listen to the person explaining their grievance, and use it to learn about the history of words like picnic , peanut gallery, or tipping point. Resist the urge to dismiss their opinion or call them sensitive. Native American people made it crystal clear, for decades now, that the name of the Washington team was offensive to them. Green turf sloped down to either edge, brown snaky tree roots gleamed below the surface of the quiet water, while ahead of them the silvery shoulder and foamy tumble of a weir, arm-in-arm with a restless dripping mill wheel, that held up in its turn a grey gabled mill house, filled the air with a soothing murmur of sound, dull and smothery, yet with little clear voices speaking up cheerfully out of it at intervals. The image of picnics as a peaceful social activity can be used for political protest.