a derogatory term for a Caucasian person.
there are three main theories for the origin of the word:
1. the word originated from the practice of white males wishing to hire African-American prostitutes in the 1920's, and going to the appropriate part of town while honking their car horns to attract the whores. Some versions state that the reason for this was that the white men were too afraid to actually stop in those neighborhoods, so the honking would bring the hookers to them. Others say that since few African-Americans could afford cars back in that time, the honking signaled a higher-paying white client and would quickly gain the prostitutes' attention.
2. the term comes from the word "honky-tonk", which was used as early as 1875 in reference to wild saloons in the Old West. Patrons of such disreputable establishments were referred to as "honkies", not intended as a racial slur but still a disparaging term.
3. "honkie" is a variation of "hunky" and "bohunk", derogatory terms for Hungarian, Bohemian, and Polish immigrant factory workers and hard laborers in the early 1900's. African-Americans began to use the word in reference to all whites regardless of specific nation of origin.
there are three main theories for the origin of the word:
1. the word originated from the practice of white males wishing to hire African-American prostitutes in the 1920's, and going to the appropriate part of town while honking their car horns to attract the whores. Some versions state that the reason for this was that the white men were too afraid to actually stop in those neighborhoods, so the honking would bring the hookers to them. Others say that since few African-Americans could afford cars back in that time, the honking signaled a higher-paying white client and would quickly gain the prostitutes' attention.
2. the term comes from the word "honky-tonk", which was used as early as 1875 in reference to wild saloons in the Old West. Patrons of such disreputable establishments were referred to as "honkies", not intended as a racial slur but still a disparaging term.
3. "honkie" is a variation of "hunky" and "bohunk", derogatory terms for Hungarian, Bohemian, and Polish immigrant factory workers and hard laborers in the early 1900's. African-Americans began to use the word in reference to all whites regardless of specific nation of origin.
also apelled "honky".
by Dawn Davenport October 26, 2004
Honkie, or Honky, an African American slang term for a white person, dates to at least 1946. The origin is not quite certain, but it is most likely a dialectical variation on the older term hunky or hunk. This latter terms date to 1909 and 1896 respectively and are probably from Hungarian. Unlike honky, the latter terms are usually used to denote people of Slavic or Central European ancestry and are not primarily used by African Americans.
by xzybit September 14, 2004
what blacks call white people they call white people that because its the last thing most of them hear when they get hit
hey im black there goes a white person in a car *honk* *honk* oh shit it just hit me because im a lame black person *im dead*
by pooper February 5, 2005
by Ki[T] December 31, 2004
A perversion of the word hunkie, which refers to a Hungarian. Later it was taken to mean any eastern European (non-Jewish), and now an offencive term for a white person.
by Disco Stu October 27, 2003