For Illustration Friday, the subject was: “sugary.” I’ve always hated to follow directions, and the sound of this word sets my teeth on end, anyway. I’ve never liked sugar as a topping, not even confectioners’ sugar. But I do like jimmies! Out here they call them sprinkles. I prefer all chocolate.

"Uh oh, we're out of jimmies." (Or sprinkles, for you weird people.) ©D. Barstow 2010

I found a whole forum on jimmies, here.

Someone at school told me that jimmies is actually a ra-cial slur related to the Jim Crow laws (’course, she was from Jersey)…anyone else heard this?

I hope not! I never heard that before. More comments ideas, below.

Yeah, I’ve heard that they’re sprinkles if they’re multi-colored, and jimmies if they’re chocolate, because it was slang for Jim Crow. And even if it’s not true, enough people around think it’s true, so I call them all sprinkles. Read more »