mOre inTerEsTinG pHraSeS!

To continue with the crazy expressions that people use, today we (by "we" I mean I) will be researching the phrase: "coon's age". Does it contain a racial connotation or does it simply refer to the age of a raccoon?

FYI: Context of Phrase:

"I haven't seen you in a coon's age!"

So here's what I've come up with.

urbandictionary.com said the phrase is...

"hickbilly slang used to descibe a long period of time; roughly 8 and a half years

and

Normally raccoons normally live roughly 5-6 years in the wild. However once in awhile you will find a big grizzly one that is about 15-16 years old. This my friends, is what you call a 'coon's age'"

thestraightdope.com continues...

"Unfortunately, many of those negative stereotypes were applied to black people, hence the derogatory term "coon," first used in the 1850s but more commonly heard after 1890. Some etymologists speculate that the term was used because of the raccoon's dark coloring rather than its real or imagined behavior. Whatever the case, the usage is highly offensive today - heck, it was highly offensive back then. For that reason, "in a coon's age" makes many people uncomfortable, notwithstanding its innocent origin. You might try "in a dog's age" or "in donkey's years" (British), which have the same meaning. Or "in a month of Sundays," which avoids animals altogether. Better yet, do us all a favor and come up with an original expression. We haven't had a novel way of saying "for a long time" in a coon's age."

So, the moral of the story is...don't use it because it may be offensive! Try one of the alternatives.

So I hope that this adequately answered the question...let me know what you think!

kAYLe!