proverb · Words worth keeping
There's no washing the blackamore white.
There's no washing the blackamore white.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying uses racist language and treats a Black person’s skin as something washing should change. That premise is to be rejected, not turned into a lesson about human worth.
What the words are saying
The image wrongly places whiteness in the role of a desired result. It may have been used to describe a futile attempt at change, but that rhetorical use does not remove its degrading racial premise. A responsible interpretation names the prejudice and separates it from any legitimate question about whether a particular task can succeed. Skin colour is neither a defect nor evidence of character or ability.
Everyday example
A discussion recognises the expression’s racist premise and replaces it with a neutral description of an impossible task.
When to use it
Use it only in critical discussion of the prejudice in the wording.
What it does not mean
The racial premise is false and degrading; it must not be endorsed or used to label people.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1722 · Washing
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English