splib

A non-derogatory word for black male, used by blacks and whites alike (even in mixed company), prevalent in the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, I heard it constantly and it was used and received with the same sort of attitude as one might use "dude" today, except for the distinguishing fact that it did indeed refer to race, without being racist.