blackity-black

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Uncertain. Perhaps from blackedy (characteristically black) +‎ black, with reduplication serving to intensify or stress the focus on being black (i.e. African-American); blackedy being equivalent to blacked +‎ -y; or alternatively a corruption of blackedly black. Compare blacked up. Spelling with -ity is likely due to confusion with nominal suffixes -ity, -ety.

Adjective

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blackity-black (comparative more blackity-black, superlative most blackity-black)

  1. (slang, of persons) Typifying characteristic traits (e.g. physical, cultural, linguistic, etc.) of African-American blacks, especially in defiant contrast to those of whites or white-favouring blacks; quintessentially or characteristically black
    • 2006, Carol Taylor, Wanderlust: Erotic Travel Tales:
      Like my dad would say, he was "blackity black black." My parents would freak.
    • 2008, Chris Woodstra, John Bush, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Old School Rap and Hip-hop, page 78:
      And yeah, the second track, "Black Is Back," was quite possibly a major inspiration behind the "I'm Black, Y'all" (aka "I'm blackedy black black b-black black, yo, 'cause I'm black and I'm back") spoof in CB4.
    • 2014, Teresa Wiltz, The Real America: The tangled roots of race and identity:
      I'm black y'all, and I'm black y'all And I'm blackity black and I'm black y'all [...]
    • 2015, Mat Johnson, Loving Day: A Novel:
      “I'm black. You're black. African American, Bilalian, Negro, Colored folk, blackity-black, black. Those Oreos up there, they're black too, although I'm sure they'd cry if you told them.
    • 2016, Brittney C. Cooper, Susana M. Morris, Robin M. Boylorn, The Crunk Feminist Collection:
      The ceremony and reception were opulent, lavish, over the top, Blackedy-Black (they gave each other dap after the kiss), and not unlike what I imagine the fictional Mary Jane's wedding to a millionaire might look like.

Derived terms

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