Nitty Gritty Laura Kuenssberg!

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The BBC has rejected a complaint against Laura Kuenssberg for using the phrase “nitty-gritty”, which anti-racism campaigners claim originates from the slave trade.

She used the term while speaking about the departure of top Downing Street press chief Lee Cain.

This sparked a complaint frm a listener, which was initially dismissed by programme makers and then escalated to the corporation's executive complaints unit, which has now found in Ms Kuenssberg's favour.

The term “nitty-gritty” was reportedly banned by Sky Sports last year over the concerns about its origins - which are disputed by some linguistics experts. (LINK)

Now personally I cannot stand Ms Kuenssberg but what paranoid lunatic came up with this bizarre etymological theory

 

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Nitty Gritty was included on a list of phrases to be avoided by sports commentators at a diversity briefing attended by hundreds of BBC, Sky, BT Sport and ITV staff last summer. They were told to use alternatives such as “the basic facts” on the grounds that nitty-gritty is thought to have referred to the detritus found in the bottom of transatlantic slave ships.

Searching online for a definition seems by and large to come up with something along the lines of "The basic facts of a matter, situation, etc; the core."

So far as I can understand it, there was only one complainant

ps - I like the link to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - although I wasn't overly impressed with their rendition of Mr.Bojangles - Nina Simone did it better

 

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Funnily enough they managed to get the "A-OK" diving hand signal banned, as it's now associated with white supremacy . . .

It might be funny if this canard were actually true. However, who exactly is going to take any action over this signal in the deep?

One of America’s oldest civil rights organisations has said it does not think the thumb and forefinger “OK” hand gesture is a white supremacist sign.

The Anti-Defamtion League (ADL) issued the clarification after two journalists known to be supporters of Donald Trump made the sign while standing behind the podium at the White House press briefing room.

 

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Robert Rowland, 54, a former Brexit Party MEP has died in a diving accident near his home in the Bahamas.

I guess that he got confused by the changes to the signal for "I'm OK Jack".

 

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'. . . Oh and nitty gritty to me means digging into the detail of something. . . .

As it probably does to most people.

However, to a small number of easily offended and to their alter egos the permanently outraged Daily Mail readers anything is an excuse for a campaign

 

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Has anyone else noticed that when speaking only one side of her lips actually moves?

It’s very strange , every time she’s on the tv I can’t help but notice.

Botox or facial palsy