banana

adj

Etymology: Borrowed from Portuguese banana or Spanish banana, derived from a Niger-Congo language spoken in the Guinea region. Specific derivation is unclear. Possible ancestor or cognate languages include Wolof banaana, Eastern Maninkakan banana, and Vai ꕒꘌꕯ (ɓaana) or ꕒꕌꕯ (ɓaana), possibly from Arabic بَنَان (banān, “fingertip, banana”). However, Ay Baati Wolof (Munro & Gaye, 1997) posits that Wolof banaana is itself derived from Portuguese banana. The racial slur derives from the notion that they are “Yellow (East-Asian) on the outside, but White (Westernized) on the inside”.

1. Curved like a banana, especially of a ball in flight.

   “Even the lowly banana ball, the bane of so many weekenders, sometimes can be exactly right, as in this case.”

   “He played the fading, low-banana shot as planned, and the ball whistled left of the oak tree and between the pines.”

name

1. A surname.
2. A village on Kiritimati, Kiribati.

   “The principal economic activity is copra production, the Government copra plantation covering some 5,170 ha. The population in 1989 was estimated at 2,000, the great majority of whom live in London, Banana and Poland villages in the west.”

noun

Etymology: Contrived acronym of build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone (or anything), as a play on "bananas" meaning "crazy, mad"

1. One who objects to the building of any structure in their neighbourhood or a certain type of structure anywhere, especially in public policy debate.

   “David Taylor (Letters, January 23) does not appear to be aware that the NIMBY syndrome, with all its parochial overtones, has been superseded by the all embracing BANANA syndrome – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.”

   “Communities have gone far beyond the NIMBY, or not-in-my-backyard, syndrome. Jeff Langholtz, of EPA's Hazardous Site Control Division said, "Right now they don't want us to build them anywhere." Langholtz called the latest in public thinking "BANANA" – build-absolutely-nothing-anywhere-near-anything. Those opposed to incinerators are more organized than ever, he added.”