my father used that term all the time and I know well he was not a racist or a bigot..I probably picked that term up off of him, and I know damn well he hated Hitler and their mistreatment of jews, and he honored a jewish scrap man on the southeast side of Des Moine where we would go to buy cast iron elevator "buckets" to use as hog waterers inside the farrowing pens.. so please, just because a guy says jewing somebody down does not mean they are trying to be offensive in any way, it's just a figure of speech that has been passed down for generations..nv most probablty however, in non-jewish families..please don't make me out to be a bigot by saying that long-time saying..I doubt if religious jews even give it much consideration or thought if they are not trying to promote some agenda onto some group of people..
We can keep using the word "gyp" as verb, though, right?
http://racerelations.about.com/od/diver ... cist_2.htmJew Down
While explaining why the term “gypped” is offensive to British paper the Telegraph, editor Jake Bowers compared use of the term to another offensive expression – “jewed.” Traditionally at flea markets and garage sales, pretty much any place where sales price is negotiable, it was common to hear references to someone “jewing down” the cost of something.
The term is offensive because it plays on the stereotype that Jewish people are tightwads who are so good at haggling they can sway someone into selling them something for less than the asking price. Today, it’s uncommon to hear younger people using the term, but the elderly may still use it, as it didn’t raise eyebrows in the past.
it did not raise eyebrows in the past"