The loss of American collequialism's

[Bob Schroeck]

Something unwanted and/or despised. Red hair in a child, I believe, was thought to be a marker of infidelity in the mother (at least among English-derived peoples, who were usually blond or brunet; this is probably the root of the anti-"ginger" prejudice one sees surfacing every once in a while in the UK). I have some thoughts about the role of the "stepchild" part, but I'm not sure if they're borne out by fact.
-- Bob
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.