By Joan Kurtz At our recent Executive Committee meeting, I made a remark (can’t remember exactly what it was) but I used the word “marranos.” I was quickly corrected and told that “marranos” literally means “pig” and is used as an insult when referring to Jews of Spanish descent who were forcibly converted during the Inquisition. The preferred term is “conversos.” Though I knew both terms, I did not know the difference.

Another term I recently learned about is “gyped,” as in when one feels as if they have been ripped off, cheated or mislead. That term comes from the word “gypsy” and is also an insult.

We learn something new every day!