Politically correct synonym for "Indian giver"?

Question

The phrase "Indian giver" means someone who gives a person a gift and then wants it back later. It's occasionally a useful concept, but the dictionary says it's offensive and I also think so. Is there a non-racist way to say this?

Answer 1

In law, the standard verbs for undoing a gift, contract, or other undertaking previously entered into are rescind, revoke, abrogate, and annul. Their relevant definitions, per Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary, are as follows (in alphabetical order):

abrogate vt 1 : to abolish by authoritative action : ANNUL 2 : to treat as nonexistent {abrogating their responsibilities} [no noun form listed for "one who abrogates"]

annul vt 3 : to declare or make legally invalid or void {wants the marriage annulled} [no noun form listed for "one who annuls"]

rescind vt 2 a : TAKE BACK, CANCEL {refused to rescind the order} b : to abrogate (a contract) and restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had there been no contract ... — rescinder n

revoke vt 1 : to annul by recalling or taking back : RESCIND {revoke a will} ... — revoker n

Unfortunately, the only two usable noun forms for these four verbs are rescinder and revoker, neither of which is at all common in everyday English.

An even more relevant verb might be renege, understood in the following sense:

renege vi 3 : to go back on a promise or commitment — reneger n

But reneger, while objectively a good fit for your context, is rarely used and puts you at risk of being misunderstood and upsetting people in a different (but no less deeply felt) way.

Since there isn't a truly satisfactory way to express what you mean in a simple word or phrase ("taker-back" doesn't work either, in my opinion), you're probably best off to describe the situation in as much detail as you need—and then say something like "that's what I call a 'gift ungiver' [or a 'gift reclaimer' or whatever wording strikes your fancy]."

Answer 2

How about de-gifter, like in Seinfeld?

From Fandom:

De-gifting is the act of taking a gift back.

Answer 3

The saying appears to originate from a misconception. I don't think there is a politically correct synonym , probably the best way is to express the concept with its common definition without any reference to any race:

• a person who asks for the return of a present he has given.

Indian giver: (US and Canadian)

• (usage): This term, though not commonly used, is usually perceived as insulting. It arose from a misconception about the customs of Native Americans.

(The Free Dictionary)

Answer 4

According to this National Public Radio article titled The History Behind the Phrase ‘Don’t Be An Indian Giver’,

But where did the concept of "Indian giving" really come from? Was there actually an instance when a white settler was presented with a gift, only to have it taken away?

The answer to that is... not really. What white settlers thought was rudeness and a lack of generosity was mostly likely rooted in a series of cultural misunderstandings.

The concept of an "Indian gift" or an "Indian giver" traces its roots back to at least the 1700s. In his 1765 History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, "Thomas Hutchinson defined an Indian gift as a present "for which an equivalent return is expected.”.

They go on to quote Lewis & Clark in 1804, where in their writings they promulgate further stereotypes about native Americans, and then say it first appeared in the Dictionary of Americanisms in 1848.

The article doesn’t give any alternatives—what the OP is looking for. The article does mention the Seinfeld episode where Jerry explores the offensiveness of this term in-depth, however.

Answer 5

It might be better to describe the action. Like "He took the gift back," or "Oh--I didn't realize this was a loan and not a gift."

Suggestions:

• Be polite
• Assume good intentions
• Express disappointment politely
• If reasonable, willingly give the gift back
• If appropriate, consider this a teaching opportunity (e.g. for your child, explain it's not OK to give things away and take them back).
• Call it a loan. Because that's how the giver is treating it. This implies the correct term for the future.

I would avoid using a personality label, or labeling the person. Labeling the gift is ok if it's not charged with blame or malintent (e.g. "mistaken gift" or "temporary gift") but if you use intention-packed adjectives, it transfers personality judgment to the person and becomes an indirect label, and you are probably assuming intent without giving yourself time to think through it. Still, "de-gifter" is probably better than "fake gift" or "trick-gift" or "phony gift" or "false gift" because they assume no good intention from the start.

If you decide it's best to make them feel a little awkward, (not sure if this is rude) perhaps ask them "What do you call it when someone gives a gift and then later asks for it back?" -- but avoid "what do you call someone who..."

Answer 6

"Political correctness means speech that is correct according to liberal/progressive goodthink" - that's the /pol/ definition from trolling nerds...who don't like being considered just trolls or nerds; hypocrisy is universal.

"Ungifting" is a good choice, though.

Answer 7

Try "Swindler". It's really the most sensible given the actuality of the time frame where the term came from as well as the practices used by colonial European powers to get Native American lands. If I were to reduce the idea to once sentence for all of it, the word "swindle" fits the best. swin·dle ˈswindl/ verb verb: swindle; 3rd person present: swindles; past tense: swindled; past participle: swindled; gerund or present participle: swindling

1.
use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions.
"a businessman swindled investors out of millions of dollars"
    obtain (money) fraudulently.
    "he was said to have swindled $62.5 million from the pension fund"
    synonyms:   defraud, cheat, trick, dupe, deceive, fool, hoax, hoodwink, bamboozle; More
    informalfleece, con, bilk, sting, hose, diddle, rip off, take for a ride, pull a fast one on, put one over on, take to the cleaners, gull, stiff, euchre, hornswoggle;
    literarycozen
    "I was swindled out of money"

noun noun: swindle; plural noun: swindles

1.
a fraudulent scheme or action.
"he is mixed up in a $10 million insurance swindle"
synonyms:   fraud, trick, deception, deceit, cheat, sham, artifice, ruse, dodge, racket, wile; More

It's just a matter of the proper application within the sentence. - Colonial Europe was great at swindling Native Americans out of their land. - Trades of cheap items and alcohol in exchange for land was clearly a swindle on the part of the colonial powers.

Answer 8

How about "Native American giver", "First Peoples giver", or "Aboriginal giver"?

(While arguably none of those are politically correct, they do have the advantages of at least using the politically correct demonyms, and they're humorous. A lot of things become politically correct when the tone is clearly non-malicious.)