honest Injun

or hon·est in·jun

[ in-juhn ]

/ ˈɪn dʒən /

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adverb Older Use: Often Offensive.

honestly (used to emphasize the truth of a statement).

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of honest Injun

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; see Injun

usage note for honest Injun

Honest Injun uses a nonstandard pronunciation spelling of Indian. Popularized by Mark Twain in Tom Sawyer (1876), this expression is now dated and perceived as insulting to American Indians. Though it came to mean “honestly or truly,” the expression may have had its origin in the contrary historical perception that Native Americans were not considered honest or trustworthy until they had proven themselves, for example, as scouts. See also Indian.

Words nearby honest Injun

honed, Honegger, hone in, honest, honest broker, honest Injun, Honest John, honestly, honest to God, honest-to-goodness, honesty

How to use honest Injun in a sentence

What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Times of Israel even applauded Netanyahu for finally being honest about his views on the issue of Palestine.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To be honest, I think a lot of good essay writing comes out of that.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is a brutally honest section of the book about how you fell out of love with your wife, and essentially chose soccer.
Tim Howard’s Wall of Intensity|William O’Connor|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So I’m sitting with my daughter and all of her friends—who are 13—and she says ‘Dad, can I be honest with you?
Jamie Foxx: Get Over the Black ‘Annie’|Stereo Williams|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With childlike confidence he follows the advice of some more or less honest dealer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Sometimes necessity makes an honest man a knave: and a rich man a honest man, because he has no occasion to be a knave.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
They will reach you by the hands of Mr. Mackenzie, a worldly-minded Scotch merchant, but honest as to earthly things.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
If they are still Moderns and alive, I defy you to bury them if you are discussing living questions in a full and honest way.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
A world that has known five years of fighting has lost its taste for the honest drudgery of work.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock