Idiom

Uncle tom

What does "Uncle tom" mean?

A derogatory term for a black man who is servile towards white men.

Uncle Tom

USA, 1920s. Derived from the name of the hero in the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

A derogatory term for a black man who is servile towards white men.

Worldwide, but most common in the USA.

  • Randy never stands up for us blacks. In the old days we'd have called him an Uncle Tom - these days people call him a coconut (that is, brown on the outside but white on the inside).