CAGED ANIMALS, WILD HUNTERS

Cajun Ty Bourgeois is referred to as “a typical Louisiana coon ass.” Before some of your readers get in an uproar, let it be noted that “coon ass” has nothing to do with either raccoons, donkeys or anything else their imaginations can conjure up.

“Coon ass” is a corruption, or variant, of the old French cuss word conasse-- a prostitute who had not had her regular health checkup. Conasse, and later “coon ass,” was used as a slang term for Cajuns, and is one of those designations that may constitute fighting words when used by outsiders, but is OK when used by us. I have cousins in New Iberia who have T-shirts and bumper stickers that proclaim, “I’m proud to be a coon ass.”

TOM BURNS

Mesa, Ariz.