"dot or feather" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "A reference to the bindi and the feathered war bonnet. First attested in a 1993 Vanity Fair article, where it is attributed to Gita Mehta.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase",
        "head": "dot or feather?"
      },
      "expansion": "dot or feather?",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1993 May, Joan Juliet Buck, “A Mehta of Style”, in Vanity Fair, page 162",
          "text": "Oddly, the only bons mots that this crowd can recall all have to do with India: Kenneth Jay Lane cites her “Indian? Dot or feather?” and others come up with puns about Chutney Marys and Chutney Miras or quick jokes about pujas.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to inquire whether a person described as \"Indian\" is a Native American or from the Indian subcontinent."
      ],
      "id": "en-dot_or_feather-en-phrase-~~ZP735E",
      "links": [
        [
          "Indian",
          "Indian#English"
        ],
        [
          "Native American",
          "Native American#English"
        ],
        [
          "Indian subcontinent",
          "Indian subcontinent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, offensive) Used to inquire whether a person described as \"Indian\" is a Native American or from the Indian subcontinent."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "red dot or feather"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "offensive"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Gita Mehta"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "dot or feather"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "A reference to the bindi and the feathered war bonnet. First attested in a 1993 Vanity Fair article, where it is attributed to Gita Mehta.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "phrase",
        "head": "dot or feather?"
      },
      "expansion": "dot or feather?",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English offensive terms",
        "English phrases",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1993 May, Joan Juliet Buck, “A Mehta of Style”, in Vanity Fair, page 162",
          "text": "Oddly, the only bons mots that this crowd can recall all have to do with India: Kenneth Jay Lane cites her “Indian? Dot or feather?” and others come up with puns about Chutney Marys and Chutney Miras or quick jokes about pujas.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to inquire whether a person described as \"Indian\" is a Native American or from the Indian subcontinent."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Indian",
          "Indian#English"
        ],
        [
          "Native American",
          "Native American#English"
        ],
        [
          "Indian subcontinent",
          "Indian subcontinent#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, offensive) Used to inquire whether a person described as \"Indian\" is a Native American or from the Indian subcontinent."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "offensive"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Gita Mehta"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "red dot or feather"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dot or feather"
}