cotton-picking

adjective

cot·​ton-pick·​ing ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌpi-kiŋ 

-ˌpi-kən

offensive

: damned

—used as an intensive or as a generalized expression of disapproval

Note: Widely considered offensive, the adjective cotton-picking is seen as belittling labor that millions of Black people were forced to do in the southern United States from the late 18th century and into the 20th century, first as enslaved people and later as sharecroppers.

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above