Shit, I had just the faintest notion of a fringe use that was some weird racist thing but that's fucking baroque:
The British author Colin MacInnes, who was white, frequently used the term in novels like City of Spades (1957) and Absolute Beginners (1959) about the multiracial, multicultural London of the 1950s and '60s. MacInnes has been criticized for his exotification and sexualization of black culture in his books. MacInnes also coined the cringeworthy word "spadelet" to refer to black infants.
It's such a useful phrase though! Fucking hell . . .
Very unrelated, but to "call a spade a spade", while originally innocuous, has taken on some racist connotations over time and many people are not comfortable with it or find it offensive (such as my aunt, who would be bothered if I didn't say anything).
Just a small warning, I don't think its super well known or something most people would have thought about
Shit, I had just the faintest notion of a fringe use that was some weird racist thing but that's fucking baroque:
It's such a useful phrase though! Fucking hell . . .