N-word pass

English

Alternative forms

n-word pass

Etymology

From the fact that the word nigga is commonly used in African American Vernacular English, despite being popularly perceived as racist when used by a nonblack individual.

Noun

N-word pass (plural N-word passes)

(slang) A notional pass giving permission for a nonblack person to say the words nigga or nigger without being perceived as racist.
- 2018 November 2, Rafael Motamayor, “Bodied is one of the most surprising, scorching satires of the year”, in Polygon‎^[1], archived from the original on 2022-12-06:
  Behn jokes about the kid being just another white boy looking for an "n-word pass", but then Adam accepts a challenge by a cocky rapper looking for an Old West-type draw (the punk even calls himself Billy Pistols).
- 2019 May 26, Matthew McClure, “End the "N-word pass"”, in The Spokesman-Review‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-10-22:
  I have had the N-word said to me three times and when I said, "Hey that's not OK," they replied that I have the "N-word pass," I am 1% African American, or they said that racism is over, and that is sadly not true. People today are still being treated differently because the color of their skin.
- 2020 January 23, Lisa Damour, “My Son's Friends Use Slurs in Online Games. What Can I Do?”, in The New York Times‎^[3], archived from the original on 2022-11-25:
  Your son might question this last idea if he is familiar with the concept of an "N-word pass," by which a black person grants a nonblack person permission to use the term.
- 2020 June 11, Janelle Griffith, “Georgia high school investigating racist yearbook photo involving Martin Luther King Jr.”, in NBC News‎^[4], archived from the original on 2022-12-26:
  The doctored photo shows Martin Luther King Jr. next to a student who is holding a sheet of paper that reads, "Official N-word pass."
- 2021 October 21, Laura Meckler, “Justice Dept. finds Utah school district allowed 'severe racial harassment' of minority students”, in The Washington Post‎^[5], archived from the original on 2021-10-24:
  It found that some non-Black students demanded Black students give them an "N-word Pass," which would allegedly give them permission to use that slur freely, and said that if Black students resisted, they were sometimes threatened or physically assaulted.

Usage notes

In the popular conception of N-word passes, a notional pass may only be granted by the explicit approval of a black person.
It is considered highly offensive for a nonblack person to use the words nigga or nigger in any context, a notional pass notwithstanding. See the usage notes on nigga.