Take the tour ×  The New York Times (February 21) carried an
article introducing the travelling exhibition of “The Cyrus
Cylinder and Ancient Persia” to the U.S. at the Smithsonian,
Metropolitan Museum, Asian Art Museum, Getty Villa and Houston’s
Museum of Fine Arts.  The Cyrus Cylinder was made soon after
Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon in 539 B.C., and was called the
first bill of human rights in history. The author and op-ed
columnist Roger Cohen concludes the article with the phrase:  My
theory, by the way, was this: It may just be possible to write a
column about Iran without using the “N” word.  My understanding
of “the N” word is associated with racial discrimination.
However, thinking of recent turmoil concerned with nuclear
development and possible armament of Iran, N can be associated
with Nuclear.  What does “N” stand for in the above statement?
Can "N" word mean something other than racial discrimination?
For your reference, the ending line is preceded with the
following sentence, but it doesn’t