Books | Literature
How Did The Word “Thug” Become Part of English?
Book Review of ‘Confessions of a Thug’ by Philip Meadows Taylor
After moving to the United States from Bangladesh in the early 2010s, I continued to enjoy watching Indian films while also keeping up with American cinema. In college, I stumbled upon online debates about whether a famous 19th-century novel should be adapted into an Indian movie. While many people supported the idea, some were against it. I also learned that Queen Victoria was a fan of the book, which piqued my interest in reading it myself. That book was Confessions of a Thug.
The word “thug” is trendy worldwide for its association with hip-hop culture. Many who are present on social media are highly familiar with the “Thug Life” memes. Merriam-Webster’s first definition of “thug” is “a violent or brutish criminal or bully”.
One of the greatest rappers of all time and a cultural icon, the late Tupac Shakur, called himself a thug and even had the phrase “Thug Life” tattooed across his chest.
