ghetto pass

ghetto pass n. figurative or literal approval from Black Americans or the hip-hop music community (of a non-Black person or a now-successful Black person); the street cred of someone known for keeping it real. Etymological Note: This term was popularized by, if not coined in, the song “True to the Game” from the 1991 album Death Certificate by the hip-hop performer Ice Cube. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

Pushing the Envelope (episode #1591)

Sure, there’s winter, spring, summer, and fall. But the seasons in between have even more poetic names. In Alaska, greenup describes a sudden, dramatic burst of green after a long, dark winter. And there are many, many terms for a cold snap...

Primary Colors (episode #1590)

Centuries ago, monks who took a vow of silence developed their own hand signs, with hundreds of gestures, that are still in use today. Plus, how do speakers of different languages distinguish similar shades and tints of colors such as red, yellow...