Chink in one's armor

The idiom "chink in one's armor" refers to an area of vulnerability. It has traditionally been used to refer to a weak spot in a figurative suit of armor. The standard meaning is similar to that of Achilles' heel.[1]

Grammarist provides a sample usage by The Daily Telegraph that they find acceptable:[2] "Such hype was anathema for the modest professional fighter, who has 22 victories under his belt, and not a perceptible chink in his armour."

Etymology

The phrase "chink in one's armor" has been used from the 1400s.[3] It adopted a more idiomatic meaning in the 1600s.[3]

Notable controversies

Further information: Chink
ESPN posted a headline using the text "Chink In The Armor" but quickly retracted it.

While the saying itself is innocuous, in recent times use of the phrase has caused some minor controversy in the United States due to it including a word that can also be used as an ethnic slur.[4] Considerable controversy was generated in the United States when an editor for ESPN used the phrase on the company's mobile web site in February 2012.[5] The headline was called simply "Chink In The Armor."[5] It referred to Asian American basketball player Jeremy Lin's unsuccessful game against the New Orleans Hornets, suggesting that Jeremy Lin's popularity and winning streak was under assault.[6] While ESPN has used the phrase "chink in the armor" on its website over 3,000 times before, its usage this time round was considered offensive.[7] Many construed the usage as a double entendre, whether intended or not.[5] Slate called it "a bad choice of words at best and a smirky, passive aggressive racist dig at worst."[8] ESPN quickly removed the headline, apologized, and said it was conducting an internal review.[9] The editor denied any idiomatic usage, saying "This had nothing to do with me being cute or punny … I’m so sorry that I offended people. I’m so sorry if I offended Jeremy."[5] Nevertheless, he was fired.[5]

An on-air ESPN commentator used the same phrase to refer to Lin, asking "If there is a chink in the armor, where can Lin improve his game?"[10] The commentator apologized, saying "My wife is Asian, would never intentionally say anything to disrespect her and that community."[10] He was suspended for 30 days.[10] Forbes believes he did so without racist intent.[7]

As a result of the controversy, a writer for Slate suggested the phrase be retired permanently.[8] While admitting that the phrase "chink in the armor" is not inherently racist, the writer argued that any usage of the word "chink" was offensive, regardless of context.[8]

Comedy television show Saturday Night Live lampooned ESPN's use of the phrase,[6] pointing out that it was just one among a great number of puns (racist and otherwise) used to refer to Lin.[11]

In a review of Richard Greenberg's stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's, theater critic Hilton Als wrote in The New Yorker "There isn’t a chink in Greenberg’s professional script,...." [12] This word choice is notable given the history of controversy around the Asian character I.Y. Yunioshi. The New Yorker has not acknowledged the gaffe or issued a public apology for the alleged racial insensitivity.

A commentator on CNBC in 2013 used the phrase when referring to Rupert Murdoch's divorce of his Asian-American wife, sparking outrage.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Chink in one's armor Synonyms, Chink in one's armor Antonyms". Thesaurus.com. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  2. ↑ April 27, 2011 (2011-04-27). "Chink vs. kink". Grammarist. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Chink in one's armor | Define Chink in one's armor at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  4. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/01/30/army-deletes-tweet-referring-to-chinks-in-armor-after-racism-accusations/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Jason McIntyre (2012-02-20). "ESPN’s Fired "Chink in the Armor" Editor Says it Was an Honest Mistake". The Big Lead. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ben Yakas (2012-02-19). "Video: ESPN's Linsanely Stupid "Chink In Armor" Headline Gets Criticized, Mocked By SNL". Gothamist. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Greg McNeal (2012-04-18). "ESPN Uses "Chink in the Armor" Line Twice UPDATE- ESPN Fires One Employee Suspends Another". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Weigel, David. "Chink in the armor, Jeremy Lin: Why it’s time to retire the phrase for good. - Slate Magazine". Slate.com. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  9. ↑ Jason McIntyre (2012-02-18). "ESPN’s Insensitive Jeremy Lin Headline: "Chink in the Armor" [Update: ESPN Apologizes". The Big Lead. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Jeremy Lin and ESPN: Network rushes to quell furor over slur". LA Times. 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  11. ↑ http://www.hulu.com/site-player/playerembedwrapper.swf?referrer=none&eid=4fa4J7VsUch8P7M80ZJkFQ&st=&et=&it=&ml=0&siteHost=http://www.hulu.com
  12. ↑ Als, Hilton (2013-04-01). "The Theatre "Single White Female"". The New Yorker. p. 82.
  13. ↑ "Outrage over CNBC reporter's 'chink in the armor' comment about Murdoch's wife". M.washingtonexaminer.com. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2014-04-24.

External links