snowball n.2
1. (also snow-cone) a black person (cf. snowflake n.1 ) [a humourless joc. reversal].
, , | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
[ | Sporting Mag. Mar. XVII 285/1: The five winning dogs were [...] Major Topham’s black dog Snowdrop, a son of Snowball. Mr. Best’s black bitch Young Snowball, a daughter of ditto]. | |
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
‘No Slave Trade’ in Vocal Mag. 2 Jan. 20: Den dey call me Snowball Lilly, / Tap my cheek and say how do? | ||
Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 45: Lily-whites, (or Snowballs) Negroes. | ||
[ | Sussex Advertiser 14 Apr. 4/3: He was dressed in a blue coat, and [...] was accompanied by Tom Spring and Snowball]. | |
Navy at Home II 151: ‘What,’ said he, ‘a snow-ball — d— n’t, we’ve got one already, but let's have a look at him. | ||
Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Sept. 29 n.p.: That snow-ball of yours, he shall be lob-lolly boy. | ||
‘Black John’ in Out-and-Outer in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 145: This lady so kind unto Snow-ba[ll] would be, / That she’d asked him to keep her back warm, d’ye see, / Which the blackey agreed to do ev’ry night. | ||
Clockmaker I 165: I give January Snow, the old nigger, a nidge with my elbow [...] ‘Bend down that ash saplin softly, you old Snowball, and make no noise.’. | ||
High Life in N.Y. II 117: ‘Look you here, you snow-ball,’ sez I [...] ‘Now look a here, cuffy!’. | ||
Dict. Americanisms 318: snowball. A jeering appellation for a negro. | ||
Bell’s Life in Sydney 1 Mar. 2/4: Grand Mill between Hardware Dick the Birmingham Trump and Massa Snowball, alias the Sydney Douglas, for £100 a-side. | ||
St Giles and St James I 60: Then other pretty terms, such as ‘snowball,’ ‘powder-puff,’ were hurled at Cesar, who sat and grinned in helpless anger. | ||
Capt. Clutterbuck’s Champagne 138: A black soldier now appeared, answering to the name of Snowball Snooks. | ||
Poganuc People 155: Old snowball is on his high heels this morning—got a suit of the colonel’s old uniform. | ||
Times (Philadelphia, PA) 22 Sept. 6/2: The cat was abducted by young ‘Snowball,’ the boot-black. | ||
Bawdy N.Y. State MS. 4: A while ago Mose Snowball applied to the Pullman Company for a position as porter on a sleeping car. | ||
DN III:v 372: snowball, n. A common appellation for a very black negro. | ‘Word-List From East Alabama’ in||
Sun. Times (Perth, WA) Supp. 19 Dec. 25/5: Why the hell didn’t they tell me before that this Snowball was a coon? | ||
Let Tomorrow Come 41: These snowballs out here’s too big for me. | ||
Living Rough 242: I looked around and standing there was Snowball Bates [...] He’s a big buck nigger. | ||
AS XIX:3 174: The DAE does not list such vulgar synonyms for Negro as [...] snowball. | ‘Designations for Colored Folk’ in||
Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 216: snow ball [...] a very light negro. | ||
Call Me When the Cross Turns Over (1958) 185: He was an abo. Snowball didn’t know Tuesday from Wednesday. | ||
Blues Fell this Morning 80: Contemptuous terms that have long been used [...] ‘snowball’. | ||
(con. 1780) Lang. of Ethnic Conflict 47: Color Allusions, Other than ‘Black’ and ‘Negro’: […] snowball [1780. A deliberate paradox. Cf. lily-white. Recent variants are snow-cone, snow-flake. | ||
One Police Plaza 174: Remember that night with the snowball? | ||
(con. 1920s) Livin’ the Blues 53: They’d make loud cracks about ‘niggers,’ [...] ‘Sambo,’ or ‘Snowball’. |
2. (also snowdrop) as a (derog.) term of address.
Tom and Jerry III iii: log.: I’ll gin him a little, my Snow-ball. [...] bob: ‘Snow-ball,’ – come, let’s have none o’ your sinnywations, Mister Baranacles; she’s none the vurser, though she is a little blackish or so! | ||
N.-Y. Enquirer 29 Feb. 2/1–2: The poor negro seemed overwhelmed with astonishment. The sailor replied, ‘What, ain’t it enough — well Snowball I can’t give you any more now — be here at 12 o’clock tomorrow.’. | ||
Complete Jest Book 156: How d’ye do, blackee – how do, Snowball! | ||
Tom Cringle’s Log (1862) 221: ‘I say, Snowdrop,’ said the sergeant [...] he approached Snowdrop with his cane raised in act to strike. ‘Top massa,’ shouted the negro. | ||
Handy Andy 335: The sweep was passing by, and I called him ‘snow-ball’. | ||
New Sporting Mag. (London) Dec. 7: [to a man who has fallen into a muddy ditch] ‘Holloa, Snowball! [...] vy, you’re as black as the vhite of my eye’. | ||
Widow Bedott Papers (1883) 45: The the little nigger comes in [...] ‘here, Snowball, take it hum and tell Miss Grimes ’twouldent be right to take off none on’t’. | ||
Wanderings of a Vagabond 304: He rang a hand-bell which was upon the table, and it was answered by a big greasy looking negro. ‘Breakfast for two, Snowball!’ ‘Y-a-a-s, sir,’ responded Snowball, standing as rigid as a post. | ||
Launceston Wkly News 1 Sept. 3/3: ‘[O]ne on us we call Snowdrop, ’cos he’s as black as an Ingian’. | ||
Blackbirding In The South Pacific 26: The man laughed and answered, ‘Snowball!’. | ||
Mr Dooley’s Philosophy 219: ‘What ar-re ye goin’ to do f’r ye’ersilf, Snowball,’ says I — [...] I called him ‘Snowball,’ him bein’ as black as coal, d’ye see. | ||
DN IV:iii 210: snowball, jeering appellation for a negro. ‘Let Snow-ball shine your shoes.’. | ‘Terms Of Disparagement’ in||
Adventures of a Scholar Tramp 17: ‘Look here, Snowball,’ he remonstrated. | ||
Pimp 54: Well Snowball, you must have had your rabbit’s foot. |
3. (US/W.I.) an ice-cream cornet or an iced confection; thus snowball cart n.
Hungry Men 213: Three children stood around the penny-snowball cart waiting for the vendor to fill cones. | ||
(con. 1940s) Jamaica Labrish 106: Limousine an choogoo-choogoo, Snow-ball cart and higgla shop! | ‘Victory’ in||
Green Days by River 70: There was a huge ice-box with an ice-shaver on top of it, where Freddie probably made press, and snowballs, and maybe even icecream. | ||
When Me Was A Boy 18: Nice! When yuh bite yuh warm crus’ an yuh suck yuh cold snowball. | ||
Carnival 165: Rachael stopped a boy passing with a snowball cart, and asked for one without syrup. |
4. (US gay) a black homosexual.
Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 228: Miss Mabel, Prissy, Butterfly [...] and Snowball, all for a Sheena = black queen (from the comic-book Sheena, Queen of the Jungle). |
SE in slang uses
In phrases
(US tramp) to stay in the north during the winter (many tramps wintered in the warmer south).
Milk and Honey Route 204: Eat snowballs – To stay up North during the winter. |