Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The hero of the Uncle Remus stories.
  • proper noun Any specific rabbit; used to personify a rabbit in a story
  • proper noun Any trickster, or unusually quick and clever, figure.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Abbreviation of Brother Rabbit

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Examples

  • "Brer Wolf looked like he wuz bleedz ter fin 'out what wuz in de jug, en he keep a-pesterin' Brer Rabbit 'bout it; but Brer Rabbit des shake his head en look sollum, en talk 'bout de wedder en de craps, en one thing en anudder.

    The Book of Stories for the Story-teller Fanny E. Coe

  • Remus "type, representing it as a versatile creature, exceedingly fertile in expedients, and duping its sworn friend the fox in various ways, just as" Brer Rabbit "serves the fox in the North American fables.

    The Naturalist in La Plata 1881

  • The new challengers would definitely respond, in the words of Brer Rabbit, "Don't throw me in the briar patch!"

    Matthew Dowd: Votes of Passion 2010

  • We should not dissuade people from trying to help those in domestic distress by fastening upon them, like Brer Rabbit to the tar baby, the obligation of continued tries just because they made one effort to assist.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » “Casual Sexual Relationships … Have Their Obvious Advantages” 2010

  • The new challengers would definitely respond, in the words of Brer Rabbit, "Don't throw me in the briar patch!"

    Matthew Dowd: Votes of Passion Matthew Dowd 2010

  • Scott has identified dozens of texts—works by George Eliot, George Orwell, Euripedes, Brer Rabbit, Milan Kundera, Jean Genet, Emile Zola, and many others—in which the divide between the public and hidden transcripts is directly at issue in the novel.

    Analyzing peasant consciousness Daniel Little 2009

  • Did you really fall for Mann Coulter's impression of Brer Rabbit?

    Obama Campaign Claims Delegate Victory 2009

  • Obviously, no one in the Pentagon has ever read the story of Brer Rabbit, who taunted his adversary with the famous words, "Please don't throw me in the briar patch, Brer Fox."

    Conn Hallinan: Why the Afghan Surge Will Fail 2009

  • So, while Democrats engage in self-censorship and promote the worst kind of affirmative action pandering in promoting the myth of Obama, the Republicans are keeping mum and, like Brer Rabbit, begging not to be tossed into the briar patch and face the fearsome Obama.

    Three Strikes Against Obama 2008

  • Add Barry Moser's lively illustrations, and the choice between Hawthorne and Brer Rabbit comes down to a coin toss.

    Spruced Up Evergreens 2008

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