Nigger In The Wood Pile Edit Meaning

1.

A problem with a phone system.

The expression was coined by a pioneer for phone technicians and was carried on through apprentices and journymen. Today it is used in limited numbers among veteran phone technicians.

"Well, I tell ya...I can't seem to get the 2600 frequency to trunk. I reckon there's a nigger in the wood pile, boy."

See something up your sleeve