Peckerwoods

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term used to describe individuals from certain rural, often southern areas, reflecting a mix of cultural and social connotations
2. Colloquially referring to a specific type of person, often with a focus onworking-class or rural identity, sometimes with negative implications
3. A slang expression denoting people, particularly those seen as unrefined or unsophisticated, who are tied to a particular regional culture

Etymology: "Peckerwoods" is the plural of "peckerwood," and the singular is itself a reversal: it is an inversion of "woodpecker." The bird's name was turned around, so the "pecker" comes first and the "wood" second, producing a word that sounds like a mild slang term for a rural or unsophisticated person. The reason the word was applied to white people is a matter of symbolism rather than the bird's own habits. In this usage, the woodpecker stood for whites, while the crow or blackbird stood for Black people. The contrast drew on those birds' colors, and the term was used in that spirit, which gives the word an edge beyond its folksy surface.