First, the drivers aren&#x27;t even Romani. Second, the NY Times has used the phrase, quite often. Granted, with a quick Google I couldn&#x27;t find a more recent NYT reference than 2008, so maybe they changed their mind.<p>Pulitzer Prize winning columnist William Safire, <i>perhaps best known as a long-time syndicated political columnist for the New York Times and the author of &quot;On Language&quot; in the New York Times Magazine, a column on popular etymology, new or unusual usages, and other language-related topics[1]</i>, explains in the NY Times:<p><pre><code>   Just because some people take offense
   at a word, however, does not automatically
   banish the word from the English language.
   ...
   it is hypersensitive to take it as a slur
</code></pre>
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;1986&#x2F;02&#x2F;23&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;on-language-gypping-the-pharisaic-tribe.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;1986&#x2F;02&#x2F;23&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;on-language-gyppi...</a><p>Here the NY Times mentions that a politician was a former driver: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2006&#x2F;12&#x2F;16&#x2F;nyregion&#x2F;16rivera.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2006&#x2F;12&#x2F;16&#x2F;nyregion&#x2F;16rivera.html</a><p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;William_safire" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;William_safire</a>