List of ethnic slurs
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of ethnic slurs (ethnophaulisms) that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), pejorative
(disapproving or contemptuous), or insulting manner in the English
-speaking world. For the purposes of this list, an ethnic slur is a term or word[s] used to insult on the basis of race, ethnicity, or nationality
. Each term is listed followed by its country or region of usage, a definition, and a reference to that term.
Ethnic slurs may also be produced by combining a general-purpose insult with the name of ethnicity, such as "dirty Jew", "Russian pig", "stupid American", etc. Other common insulting modifiers include "dog", "filthy", etc. Such terms are not included in this list.
) a Jewish male. From the proper name Abraham. Originated before the 1950s.
ABC : (Chinese
in the U.S.
) American-born Chinese
, a term used to refer to Chinese people
who were born in the United States
.
ABCD : (South Asians
in the U.S.
) American-Born Confused Desi
, a term used to refer to Indian American
s, Pakistani American
s or other South Asians, term as "desi
," who were born in the United States
. The condescending term is used chiefly by South Asian immigrants to imply confusion about cultural identity.
Abo/Abbo : (AUS) Australian Aboriginal
person. Originally, this was simply an informal term for Aborigine
, and was in fact used by Aboriginal people themselves until it started to be considered offensive in 1950s. In remoter areas, Aboriginal people still often refer to themselves (quite neutrally) as Blackfellas (and whites as Whitefellas). Although Abo is still considered quite offensive by many, the pejorative boong is now more commonly used when the intent is to deliberately offend, as that word's status as an insult is unequivocal.
Alligator
bait : (U.S.) also Gator Bait. A black person, especially a black child. More commonly used in states where alligators are found, particularly Florida
. First used in the early 20th century, although some hypothesize the term originated in the late 19th century.
Alter kacker / alter kocker (Yiddish) / alter kucker / A.K. : (North America) a disparaging term for elderly Jewish people. The term is of Yiddish origin (literally meaning old shitter). First used in the early 20th century.
Anchor baby : A slur for a child born in the United States to immigrants or other non-citizens, regardless of the immigration status of the parents. The term refers to the supposed role of the child, as a U.S. citizen, in facilitating immigration through family reunification under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Anglo-pilferer: An Anglo-Celtic Australian
, possibly of convict lineage. Based on the belief that all Anglo-Australians are descended from convicts. Particularly offensive.
Ann : (North America) A white woman to a black person—or a black woman who acts too much like a white one. While Miss Ann, also just plain Ann, is a derisive reference to the white woman, by extension it is applied to any black woman who puts on airs and tries to act like Miss Ann.
Ape : (U.S.) a black person.
Apple : (North America) An American Indian
(Native American) who is "red on the outside, white on the inside." Used primarily by other American Indians to indicate someone who has lost touch with their cultural identity. First used in the 1980s.
Asian nigger : An ethnic slur against Filipinos
.
Aunt Jemima
/ Aunt Jane / Aunt Mary / Aunt Sally : (U.S.) a black woman who "kisses up" to whites, a "sellout," female counterpart of Uncle Tom
.
) who is yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Used primarily by Asians to indicate someone who has lost touch with his or her cultural identity.
Beaner
/ Beaney: (U.S.) term widely regarded as derogatory, that refers to people of Mexican
descent or, more specifically, mestizo
s of Central American descent. The term originates from the prevalence of frijoles pintos and other beans in Mexican food.
Bluegum : An offensive slur used by some United States white
Southerners
for an African-American perceived as being lazy and who refuses to work.
Boche / bosche / bosch : (France
; U.S.; UK) a German [shortened from the French term caboche dure (hard head, or stubborn)].
Bog Irish
: (UK, Ireland) a person of common or low class Irish ancestry.
Bohunk : (North America) a person of east-central European descent. Originally referred to those of Bohemian
(now Czech Republic) descent. Was commonly used toward Ukrainian
immigrants during the early 20th century. See also hunky
.
Boong / bong / bung: (Aus) Australian aboriginal. Boong, pronounced with ʊ (like the vowel in bull), is related to the Australian English
slang word bung, meaning dead; infected; or dysfunctional. From bung, to go bung "Originally to die, then to break down, go bankrupt, cease to function [Ab. bong dead]". Highly offensive. [First used in 1847 by JD Lang, Cooksland, 430]
Boonga / boong / bunga / boonie : (New Zealand) a Pacific Islander
[alteration of boong].
Bounty Bar : A Bounty
chocolate bar, being composed of coconut coated with chocolate, is white on the inside and brown on the outside. As with wigger
, this is both a subcultural and ethnic slur. The immediate target is criticized for having the cultural values of a different ethnic group, with the implication that the ethnic group in question is bad or inferior. Coconut and Oreo
are used in the same way.
Brownie : (U.S.) a. a person of mixed white and black ancestry; a mulatto
.
Buddhahead : (U.S.) an Asian; used by Calvinist author R. J. Rushdoony in one of his books.
Bule
: (Indonesian) is a commonly used word in Indonesia to describe a foreigner, especially Caucasians. Means Albino; sometimes used in pejorative manner.
Buffie : a. Black person.
Burrhead / Burr-head / Burr head: (U.S.) a black person (referencing stereotypical hair type).
: An insulting term for people of Middle Eastern descent.
CBCD : (Subcontinent
als in Canada) – Canadian-Born Confused Desi – Similar to ABCD, but used for Canadian-born South Asians who are confused about their cultural identity.
Charlie : 1) (African-American, 1960s-1970s) A mildly derogatory term used to refer to white people as a reified collective oppressor group, similar to The Man or The System.
2) (Vietnam War
military slang) Non-pejorative slang term used by American troops as a shorthand term for Vietnamese guerrillas. Derived from the verbal shorthand for "Victor Charlie", the NATO phonetic alphabet
for VC, the abbreviation for Viet Cong. Other references to the Viet Cong included "Mr. Charles" as a rueful admission of the skill at asymmetric warfare.
Chee-chee, Chi-chi : An Anglo-Indian or Eurasian
half-caste [probably from Hindi chi-chi fie!, literally, dirt] Also can refer to English spoken with a Southwest Asian accent.
Cheese-eating surrender monkey : (UK
, USA
, Canada
) A Frenchman, from the defeat of the French against the German in 1940, and the huge variety of cheeses originating from France. Gained popularity after the term was used on an episode of The Simpsons
.
Ching Chong
: (U.S. and Canada) Mocking the language of or a person of perceived Chinese or East Asian descent. An offensive term which has raised considerable controversy when used by celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell
.
Chinaman : found offensive, used in the gold rush and railway-construction eras in western North America, when discrimination against Chinese was common. Though widely used historically without offensive intent, the term today generates controversy when still used in geographic places associated or resembling Chinese. Fowler's Dictionary of English Usage as late as 1956 describes it as the term for a Chinese person, whereas the term Chinese was only used as an adjective for things. Though it is widely used as an ironic self-reference by many North Americans of Chinese descent, and is still heard in the lyrics to the 1970s song "Kung Fu Fighting" and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
movie song "Tokyo Drift" by the Teriyaki Boyz
, it tends to generate objections in modern times, especially in the US where Asian-American is the preferred nomenclature. (Note that in cricket
, the term "chinaman" is used in a non-ethnic sense to refer to a left-handed bowler who uses a wrist spin action
, and that a chinaman was also a type of 18th and 19th C. merchant ship, or a dealer in china ware.)
Chink/Chinky
: (U.S., UK, and India) used to refer to people of perceived Chinese descent
, and by extension for other East Asians. Considered extremely derogatory, although at least one US school proudly used the term as a sports mascot until 1980.
Cholo
: (Latin American Spanish, USA) used in Latin America to refer to people of perceived Amerindian or African slaves descent; used in the USA to refer to people of perceived Mestizo
descent, especially teenagers and young people
in the lowrider
subculture. It may be derogatory depending on circumstances. Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo
was nicknamed "el Cholo".
Chonky : refers to a person of Chinese heritage with white attributes whether being a personality aspect or physical aspect.
Christ killer : a Jew, an allusion to Jewish deicide
. On occasion it can also be used as an anti-Italian
slur on the basis the Romans
, as ancestors of the present-day Italians, executed Jesus.
Chug: (Canada) refers to an individual of aboriginal
descent.
Coconut: (US) A person of Hispanic descent who's accused of acting white. A Pacific Islander
. Named after the coconut
, the nut from the coconut palm. A black person who exhibits behaviour associated with caucasians; (US) a black person trying to be 'white'. A black person who acts white An individual of South Asian (typically Dravidian) descent, who is accused of trying to be 'white'.
Coolie
: (North America) unskilled Asian labor, usually Chinese (originally used in 19th-century for Chinese railroad labor). Possibly from Hindi kuli, day laborer. Also racial epithet for Indo-Caribbean
people, especially in Guyana
, Trinidad and Tobago
and South African Indians
.
Coon : (U.S, U.K and Australia) a black person. Possibly from Portuguese barracão, a building constructed to hold slaves for sale (1837). Popularized by the song "Zip Coon", played at Minstrel show
s in the 1830s.
Coonass
, or Coon-ass: (U.S.) a person of Cajun
ethnicity.
Cracker
: (U.S.) poor Appalachian or poor Southerner, a white person, first used in the 19th century.
Crow : a black person, spec. a black woman.
Cunt-eyed : (U.S.) adjective: a person with slanted eyes (first used in the 1910s)
Curry-muncher/Curry-slurper : (Australia, Africa, New Zealand) a person of East India
n origin.
, possibly derived from the Spanish name, "Diego," or a corruption of the title Hidalgo
(member of the Gentry, from Spanish > hijo de algo "son of someone [important]"). 2) (U.S.) An Italian or person of Italian descent.
Darky / darkey / darkie: noun. Used as a term for a black person, which may cause offence. Randall Kennedy
's Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word
notes that some judges have considered "darky" a "term of endearment
." See also Minstrel show
. In South Africa
, however, it is not considered either racist or offensive, but is quite acceptable
Dink: an Asian, esp. a Vietnamese
. Also used as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerrilla in the Vietnam War. Origin: 1965–70, Americanism
Dogan, dogun : (CAN) Irish Catholic
[19th century on; origin uncertain: perhaps from Dugan, an Irish surname].
Dune coon : (US) Derogatory term used for Arab
s. By analogy with sand nigger, below.
Eyetie : (British) an Italian person; slang, usually used disparagingly. Originated through the mispronunciation of "Italian" as "Eye-talian."
: (Northern Ireland
and west of Scotland
Protestants) originally the name of a political movement, the Fenian Brotherhood
, but now a derogatory term aimed at Catholics
, especially those thought to sympathise with the IRA
.
Flip : (Western World) A derogatory term for Filipinos
.
Free Stater : (Northern Ireland
) a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
, especially to Ulster Protestants. Also used by Irish Republicans
to refer to Irish people who they believe are less than patriotic.
Fresh off the boat : (sometimes shortened to "F.O.B." or "FOB"), a derogatory term for people of foreign nationality, who have arrived in a host nation as tourists, immigrants, students, or most commonly, as work permit applicants.
Fritz : (UK, France, Hungary ("fricc"), Poland [Fryc], Russia [фриц] ) a German [from Friedrich (Frederick)].
Frog : (Canada, UK and US) A French
person. Prior to 19th century, referred to the Dutch
(as they were stereotyped as being marsh
-dwellers). When France became Britain's main enemy, replacing the Dutch, the epithet transferred to them, due to the French recipe for eating frogs' legs (see comparable French term Rosbif). Also used in Canada to refer to both the French and French Canadians, and occasionally incorrectly as more broadly to people from Quebec
who are not, in fact, necessarily French or French speaking.
Fuzzy-Wuzzy
: (UK) Colonialist term used to refer to the Hadendoa
warriors in the 19th Century. Not applicable in Australia, see Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels
Gaijin
: (JP) a derogatory term for any non-Japanese person. Shortened form of 'Gaikokujin' (person from another country). Used often against Caucasians.
Gin : (AUS) an Aboriginal woman.
Gin jockey : (AUS) a white person having casual sex with an Aboriginal woman. Pejorative. See also gin burglar
Golliwog : A predominately UK expression which originally was a children's literature character and type of black doll but which eventually became to be used as a jibe against people with dark skin, most commonly Afro-Caribbeans.
Gook-eye, Gooky, Gook
: a derogatory term for Asians, used especially for enemy soldiers. Its use as an ethnic slur has been traced to U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines
in the early 20th century. The earliest recorded example is dated 1920. It gained widespread notice as a result of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Goy
, Goyim, Goyum: A Hebrew biblical
term for "Nation" or "People". By Roman times
it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". In English, usage may be controversial, it can be assigned pejorative
ly to non-Jews.
Greaseball, Greaser: A person of Italian
descent. It can also refer to any person of Mediterranean / Southern European descent or Hispanic
descent.
Gringo
: a foreigner; especially used disparagingly against North Americans and North Europeans in Latin America
. (from the Spanish word "griego", meaning Greek
. The use of the term Greek for something foreign or unintelligible is also seen in the similar expression "it's Greek to me".) The term lends itself to derogatory or paternalistic connotations, but in most of the contexts it may not be meant pejoratively.
Groid: (US) A black person. Offensive. Derived from "negroid".
Gub, Gubba : (AUS) Aboriginal pejorative term for white people
Güero : Mexican term for a light-skinned person.
Gweilo
, gwailo, or kwai lo (鬼佬) : (used in South of Mainland China and Hong Kong) A White man. Loosely translated as "foreign devil;" more literally, might be "ghost dude/bloke/guy/etc." Gwei means "ghost." The color white is associated with ghosts in China. A lo is a regular guy (i.e. a fellow, a chap, or a bloke). Once a mark of xenophobia, the word is now in general, informal use but still considered derogatory.(Actually to many local Hong Kong people,this term have cutty or even superior respectful kind of meaning)
Guido
: (US) An Italian-American male. Usually offensive. Derives from the Italian given name, Guido. Used mostly in the Northeastern United States
as a stereotype for working-class urban Italian-Americans.
Guinea
, Ginzo: A person of Italian birth or descent. Most likely derived from "Guinea
Negro," implying that Italians are dark or swarthy-skinned like the natives of Guinea. The diminutive "Ginzo" probably dates back to World War II and is derived from Australian slang picked up by US servicemen in the Pacific Theater.
Gypsy, Gyppo, gippo, gypo, gyppie, gyppy, gipp : a. A Romani people . b. (UK and Australia) Egyptians.
s
Hajji
, Hadji, Haji : (US) Used by some U.S. servicemembers to describe Iraqis, Arabs, Afghans, or Middle Eastern and South Asian people in general. Derived from the honorific Al-Hajji, the title given to a Muslim who has completed the Hajj
(pilgrimage to Mecca).
Half-breed
: A derogatory term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American (especially North American) and white European parentage. Métis
is a French term for half-breed.
Half Caste : (UK) Derogatory term against people who are born of mixed race. Often shortened to 'Halfie'.
Haole
: (US, Hawaiian) A non-native, used by Hawaiians mainly to refer to whites (less commonly to refer to non-Hawaiians). Can be used neutrally, dependent on context.
Heeb, Hebe: (U.S.) offensive term for a Jewish person, derived from the word "Hebrew
".
Hindoo : (AUS) 19th century, Hindu. Often not offensive.
Honky
also spelled "honkey" or "honkie" : (1) (U.S.) An offensive term for a white person. Derived from an African-American pronunciation of "hunky
", the disparaging term for a Hungarian laborer. The first record of its use as an insulting term for a white person dates from the 1950s.
House Nigger / House negro : (U.S.) A derogatory term for affluent or highly educated African-Americans. Derived from the fact that African slaves who worked in the homes of their masters gained their favor, and were able to advance socially by reporting suspicious slaves and or activity.
Hun : (U.S. and U.K.) 1) A derogatory term for Germans, especially German soldiers; popular during World War I. Derived from a speech given by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany to the German contingent sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion
in which he exhorted them to "be like Huns" (i.e., savage and ruthless) to their Chinese enemy. 2) An offensive term for a Protestant in Northern Ireland or historically, a member of the British military in Ireland
("Britannia's huns").
Hymie : (U.S.) offensive term for a Jewish person, derived from the personal name Hyman (from the Hebrew name Chayyim
). Jesse Jackson
provoked controversy by referring to New York City as "Hymietown" in 1984.
Ikey-mo / ikeymo : a Jew [from Isaac and Moses]
Indon : an offensive term for Indonesia
n citizens and Indonesia in general. Used mostly in Malaysia and Singapore
.
Injun : an offensive term for a Native American
, corrupted "Indian".
: ( (S)US, especially during World War II) a Japanese soldier or national, or anyone of Japanese descent. Also an acronym for "Jewish-American Princess".
Jerry : (Commonwealth, especially during World War II) a. a German national. b. a German soldier [Probably an alteration of German]. Origin of Jerry can.
Jigaboo, jiggabo, jigarooni, jijjiboo, zigabo, jig, jigg, jigga, jigger : (U.S. and UK) a black person with stereotypical black features (e.g. dark skin, wide nose, and big lips). Jiggaboo or jigabo is from a Bantu
verb tshikabo, meaning meek or servile.
Jock, jocky, jockie : (UK) A Scottish person, Scots language
nickname for the personal name John, cognate to the English
, Jack. Occasionally used by the English as an insult. but also in respectful reference to elite Scottish, particularly Highland troops, e.g. the 9th (Scottish) Division. Same vein as the English insult for the French, as Frogs. an athlete, sometimes used pejoratively, as in "dumb jock" (a reference to an athlete with minimal academic skills, a stereotypical belief being s/he was promoted in school simply due to enhance a particular school athletic program) or "pampered jock" (a reference to an athlete getting preferential treatment due to his/her athletic prowess and notoriety, where such treatment – such as reduced punishment for criminal conduct – would not be provided to a non-athlete similarly situated).
Jungle bunny : (U.S. and UK) a black person.
, kaffer, kaffir, kafir, kaffre, kuffar : (South Africa) a. derogatory for a black person. b. also caffer or caffre: a non-Muslim. c. a member of a people inhabiting the Hindu Kush
mountains of north-east Afghanistan. Origin is from the Arab word kafir meaning infidel
used in the early Arab Zanzibar
ian trading post
s on the Indian Ocean
coast in Africa to refer to the non-Islamic black people living in the interior of Africa. The term is still used as a pejorative by some Muslim
s, particularly Islamists
in such a context. The term passed into modern usage through the British
because on early European maps Southern Africa
was called by cartographers
Cafreria (the name derived from the Arab word "kafir") and later Kaffraria
. Thus the British used the term "kaffirs" to refer to the mixed groupings of people displaced by Shaka
when he organized the Zulu nation. These groups (consisting of Mzilikaze, Matiwani, Mantatisi, Flingoe, Khoikhoi
, and Xhosa peoples inhabited the region from the Cape of Good Hope
to the Limpopo river
) fought the British in the Kaffir Wars 1846–1848, 1850–1852, and 1877–1878.) See also Kaffir (Historical usage in southern Africa)
Kike
or kyke : (U.S.) Derogatory term for Ashkenazi Jews. From kikel, Yiddish for "circle". Immigrant Jews signed legal documents with an "O" (similar to an "X").
Kala
Keling
Kraut
(from Sauerkraut
) : (North America and Commonwealth) Derogatory U.S. and British term for a German
, most specifically during World War II
.
: (US) A British person. Comes from the historical British naval practice of giving sailors limes to stave off scurvy
.
Lubra : An Australian Aboriginal woman.
: originally used by francophone
colonialists in Central Africa's Belgian Congo
to refer to the native population; use has expanded to other groups, including North Africans and Indians.
Mack, Mick, Mickey, Mickey Finn : a. (Britain
, Commonwealth
and U.S.
) an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. Mick is considered more offensive in the U.K. and U.S.. From the prefix "Mc"/"Mac" meaning "son of" that is commonly found in Irish surnames. b. (Australia) a Roman Catholic [19th century on, from Michael].
Malaun : (Bangladesh) A derogatory term used to refer to the Hindus. It is considered an ethnic slur.
Mallu : Used to call a person of Kerala (Indian) origin or the one who speaks Malayalam.
Mat Salleh (slur) Mat Salleh kotek bengkok : A derogatory Malay term used for Caucasians. Originally, it was used to mock English sailors, that is, as "mad sailors"" Even more insulting is the addition of the words "kotek bengkok", which means "bent penis".
Mock / moch : (U.S.) a Jew [first used in the 1960s as an abbreviated form of mocky (qv)]
Mocky / moky / moxy / mockey / mockie / mocky : (U.S.) a Jew [first used in the 1930s]
Monday: (US) A black person. Popularized by Russell Peters
stand up at Def Jam.
Moulie / Moulignon : Offensive word for a black person, used by Italians in US. It is a corruption of melanzane, the Italian word for eggplant.
Munt / Munter : (among whites in South Africa
, Zimbabwe
, and Zambia
) a black person. Derives from muntu, the singular Bantu word for "person" In the UK, the word means "ugly person", especially "ugly woman".
Mustalainen (sing.)/Mustalaiset (pl.): Derived from the Finnish word for "Black", it is a word for the Finnish Kale
– a group of the Romani people that lives primarily in Finland
and Sweden
. It is nowadays sometimes considered an offensive term, and in common and official context romani is considered more appropriate (see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mustalainen).
Muzzie / Mussie : (Europe and US) A highly offensive slang term for a Muslim
.
Nig-nog : (UK) a black person. – note alternative original mildly derogatory meaning in the UK: "a novice; a foolish or naive person"
Nigger
/ Niger / nig / nigor / nigra / nigre (Caribbean) / nigar / niggor / niggur / nigga
/ niggah / niggar / nigguh / niggress / nigette: (International) An American-English slur originally used to refer to black-skinned people, but developed a dual meaning in the late 20th century.
Nip : (U.S. and UK) A derogatory term for someone of Japanese descent (shortened version of Nipponese, from Japanese name for Japan, Nippon)
Nitchie, neche, neechee, neejee, nichi, nichiwa, nidge, nitchee, nitchy : (CAN) a North American Indian [From the Algonquian
word for "friend"].
Northern Monkey : (UK) (See also Southern Fairy) Used as a pejorative in the south of England, relating to the supposed stupidity and lack of sophistication of those in the north of the country. In some cases this has been adopted in the north of England, with a pub in Leeds
even taking the name 'The Northern Monkey'.
: (AUS and NZ) Uncultivated Australian.
Ofay : (US) a white person, unknown etymology.
Orange bastard: (Scotland, (Northern) Ireland) used by Catholic
Irish
or Scottish
Republicans
for a presumed Protestant in Ireland
or Great Britain
, who is perceived to be a Unionist
, i.e. supporting union of Northern Ireland
with the United Kingdom
. "Orange" refers to the Orange order, an order in Northern Ireland, playing a major role on the Unionist Protestant side in the Northern Ireland Conflict
(see Orangemen's Day
), typically a supporter of the Glasgow
football club Rangers FC (see Old Firm
, Sectarianism in Glasgow
). http://sluggerotoole.com/2006/02/26/rte_reporter_attacked_and_called_orange_bastard/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2002/feb/17/northernireland.northernireland1
Oreo : (US) A racial slur for being black on the outside and white on the inside, hinted by the appearance of an Oreo
cookie. Compare Magic Middle.
. Derived from a nickname for Patrick. Often derogatory; however, Lord Edward FitzGerald
, a major leader of the United Irishmen of 1798, proclaimed himself proudly "a Paddy and no more" and stated that "he desired no other title than this".
Paki (Paki Paki): (United Kingdom) Used as a derogatory term directed towards South Asians (and sometimes Middle East
ern people), it is usually considered offensive when used by a non-Asian
in the UK.
Poppadom: (United Kingdom) Used as a derogatory term directed towards South Asians (and sometimes Middle East
ern people). The term was most infamously used during a Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy
.
Pancake Face, Pancake : An Asian person
Pepper or Pepsi: (Canada) a French Canadian
or Québécois
Derived from the Anglo-Canadian jibe that their stereotypically bad dental hygiene was due to drinking Pepsi or Dr Pepper for breakfast.
Pickaninny
: a term – generally considered derogatory – that in English usage refers to black children, or a caricature of them which is widely considered racist.
Pikey
/ piky / piker : (Britain
) Derived from "turnpike
". a. Irish Traveller
, b. Gypsy, c. an itinerant or vagrant lower-class or poor person. Sometimes used to refer to an Irish person [19th century on].
Pindos : (Russia
, Ukraine
, Belarus
) Originally used by Russian troops as a disparaging term for an American soldier during Kosovo War
. Currently is applied to any American.
Pocho / pocha : (Southwest U.S., Mexico) adjective: term for a person of Mexican heritage who is partially or fully assimilated into American culture (literally, "diluted, watered down (drink); undersized (clothing)"). (See also "Chicano")
Polack
: a Pole
or a person of Polish origin, from the Polish endonym, Polak (see Name of Poland
). Note: the proper Swedish demonym for Polish people is polack and the Norwegian equivalent is polakk.
Pom, Pohm, Pommy, Pommie, Pommie Grant : (AUS/NZ/SA) a British (usually English) immigrant. Some claim it derives from "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Prisoner of Her Majesty", but it probably derives from pomegranate, rhyming slang for "immigrant". It is often used irreverently and is usually considered offensive. Many such migrants to Australia, such as Prime Minister Julia Gillard
, call themselves "ten pound poms", because they paid ten pounds for their passage to Australia between 1945 and 1972 under an assisted migration scheme. Often combined with an adjective, particularly whingeing pom, a reference to migrants who complained about their adopted country. Often used in a sporting (especially cricket and rugby) context, with liberal use of 'pom' and 'Aussie' being used by the media; the term is often seen as unoffensive in this context, and instead as light-hearted banter by those who use it, but still possibly as offensive by those whom it is directed at.
Porch monkey : a black person referring to perceived common behavior of groups hanging out on front porches or steps of urban apartment complexes in U.S. cities.
Prairie nigger : A Native American
Peckerwood: is a slur that was used through the mid 20th century by southern African Americans and upper class whites used to describe poor rural whites. It is still used mostly by African Americans against White people.
s or keffiyeh
s. Sometimes used generically for all Islamic nations. See Towel head.
Redlegs
: In Barbados, the term is offensive to many, and refers to the islands' labourer-class white
s.
Redneck
: In the US, the term is offensive to many, and refers to Southern
laborer-class white
s.
Redskin : a controversial term referring to Native Americans, used in the names of several sports teams in the US.
Roundeye : (English-speaking Asians) a white or non-Asian person.
Russki, Russkie : disparaging when used by foreigners for "Russian
" (actually, these are transliterations of the Russian
"Русский" (in Russian pronounced: Rooskiy) for "Russian" and the spelling Russkiy is almost always in a literary context. "Russki" in Russian simply means someone who is an ethnic Russian as opposed to a minority nationality within the Russian Federation.)
Sand nigger: An ethnic slur used against Arabs and those thought to be Arabs.
Sawney : (England, archaic) – A Scottish person, local variant of Sandy, short for "Alexander".
Schvartse : A Yiddish derogatory term for someone of African descent.
Seppo, Septic : (Australian/British) An American. (Cockney rhyming slang
: Septic tank
– Yank
)
Sheeny: (U.S.) A 19th-century derogatory term for an "untrustworthy Jew."
Shelta : (Ireland) A pejorative term for the Travelling Folk. Derived from siúilta, which means "The Walkers" in Irish
.
Shiksa
(Yiddish) : a pejorative term, mostly in North America, for a non-Jewish woman. Derived from the Hebrew root Shin-Qof-Tzadei (שקץ), meaning loathsome or abomination. Most commonly used to refer to a non-Jewish woman who is dating or married to a Jewish man.
Shine : A disparaging term for a black person originating from their working at shoe shine stands on urban streets or in bus and train station terminals.
Shkutzim (Yiddish) : a pejorative term used by Jews against non-Jewish men, especially those perceived to be anti-Semitic. The singular is sheigetz.
Skip /Skippy: (Aus) a person of Anglo-Australian decent, alluding to the name of a kangaroo in a once-popular Australian television show for children.
Slant-eye, Slant : pejorative term for a person of Far Eastern origin (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese etc.) Derived from the term for those who have epicanthic folds
Slope, slopehead, slopy, slopey : (U.S. and Aus) a person of Asian (in Australia, especially Vietnamese; in America, especially Chinese) descent.
Smoked Irish / smoked Irishman : (U.S.) 19th century term for Blacks (intended to insult both Blacks and Irish).
Snowback : A Canadian working, studying, living, or immigrating illegally to the U.S. or a Canadian spending the winter in the US. Also known as a frostback.
Sooty : A black person [originated in the U.S. in the 1950s]
Spade : A black person, recorded since 1928 (OED), from the playing cards suit.
Spearchucker: A term used for an African American, or other person of African descent.
Spic
, spick, spik, spig, or spigotty : (U.S) a. a person of Hispanic descent, or a person of actual or presumed Puerto Rican origin whether or not of Hispanic descent. Use of the word is often perceived as extremely offensive if used by a person not of Latino descent in any context. Origin uncertain. First recorded use in 1915. Theories include from "no spik English" (and spiggoty from the Chicano no speak-o t'e English), but common belief is that it is an abbreviation of "Hispanic" b. the Spanish language. In the UK this term is more commonly used towards people of Italian/Mediterranean descent rather than Hispanics.
Spook : A black person, attested from the 1940s. This particular slur plays a pivotal role in the novel The Human Stain
and the film
based on it.
Squarehead: A Nordic person, esp. German. The slur refers to either the stereotyped shape of their heads, or to the shape of the Stalhelm M1916 steel helmet http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/43-britain-allies/410-nick-names-well-known.html, or to its owner's stubbornness (like a block of wood).
Squaw
: (U.S. and CAN) Often offensive term for female Native American. Derived from lower East Coast Algonquian (Massachuset: ussqua), which originally meant "young woman", but which took on strong negative connotations in the late 20th century. (The equivalent derisive for a male is "buck", and for a child, "papoose
".)
Sucker fish: A term used ambiguously in southern Oregon directed towards the Klamath people during a dispute over the sucker fish of the Klamath River
which was considered sacred by the tribe. Troublemakers displayed bumper-stickers with the message "Save a Farmer, Fillet a sucker fish."
: (Ireland) A British person, a derogatory term for British people, derived from the Black and Tans
, the nickname for an auxiliary British Army unit deployed to Ireland in the 1920s and which gained a reputation for brutality.
Taffy
or Taff : (UK) a Welsh person. First used ca. 17th century. From the River Taff
or the Welsh pronunciation of the name David (in Welsh, Dafydd). Children's rhyme: "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief". Generally considered offensive when used by an English person, although it has appeared in such family-friendly series as Dad's Army
, where it was used as a lighthearted nickname.
Taig
(also Teague, Teg and Teig): a vitriolic slur used by loyalists
in Northern Ireland
for members of the nationalist
/Catholic
/Gaelic
community. Derived the Irish name Tadhg, often mistransliterated as Timothy.
Tar baby
: (UK; U.S.; and N.Z.) a black child.
Teapot : (British) A black person. [19th century]
Teuchter
: (Southern Scotland) somebody from the north of Scotland or rural Scottish areas. Used as a derogatory term to cause offense.
Thicklips : (UK) a black person.
Timber nigger : An ethnic slur against Native Americans
.
Tinker / tynekere / tinkere / tynkere, -are / tynker / tenker / tinkar / tyncar / tinkard / tynkard / tincker
Touch of the tar brush : (British) derogatory descriptive phrase for a person of predominantly Caucasian ancestry with real or suspected African or Asian distant ancestry.
: A pejorative for an American black person who is perceived as behaving in a subservient manner to white authority figures. "Tío Tomás" is the equivalent pejorative slur by Hispanics towards Hispanics who learn English and are serious about their studies.
: (US) A derogatory term for a Latino
person. Originally applied specifically to Mexican
migrant workers who had crossed the Rio Grande
border river illegally to find work in the United States, its meaning has since broadened.
White Nigger / Wigger
/ Whigger / Wigga: (US) Used in 19th-century United States to describe the Irish. Sometimes used today in reference to white people in a manner similar to white trash
or redneck
. Also used to describe white youth that imitate urban black youth by means of clothing style, mannerisms, and slang speech. The 'w' at the start of wigger refers to the white person and the 'igger' refers to nigger
, which is a racial slur for black people. Also used by radical Québécois
in self-reference, as in the seminal 1968 book White Niggers of America.
Whitey : A term for a Caucasian, commonly used in a derogatory manner.
Wog
: (UK and Commonwealth) A generic term for any swarthy or dark-skinned foreigner. Possibly derived from "golliwogg
" In Britain, it usually refers to dark skinned people from Asia or Africa, though any truly xenophobic
Englishman knows that "the Wogs begin at Calais". Wog is also a backronym
for Worthy Oriental Gentleman. In Australia the term "wog" is usually used to refer to Mediterranean Europeans (Spaniards, Italians, and Greeks), Eastern Europeans (Bosnians, Macedonians, Serbians, Croatians, or Albanians), and Near Eastern or Middle Eastern people (Turks, Arabs and Persians).
Wop
: (North America and UK) A racial term for anyone of Italian descent, derived from the Italian dialectism, "guappo
," close to "dude, swaggerer" and other informal appellations, a greeting among male Neapolitans. Although this is the term's original origin, "wop" evolved into a racial slur against Italians and Italian Americans during the 20th century, with its most common use being a derogatory backronym for 'WithOut Papers'.
; English-speaking countries outside the United States may use it as a derogatory term for Americans.
Yellow : Designating or pertaining to an Asian person, in reference to those who have a yellowish skin color.
Yid : Disparaging term for a Jew, although it is an endonym among Yiddish-speaking Jews. Used in Britain to describe Tottenham Hotspurs fans (often proudly by themselves), which include a large Jewish supporting base from north-east London.
who is subservient to the Jews ("Zog"=Zionist Occupation Government
).
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
(disapproving or contemptuous), or insulting manner in the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking world. For the purposes of this list, an ethnic slur is a term or word[s] used to insult on the basis of race, ethnicity, or nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
. Each term is listed followed by its country or region of usage, a definition, and a reference to that term.
Ethnic slurs may also be produced by combining a general-purpose insult with the name of ethnicity, such as "dirty Jew", "Russian pig", "stupid American", etc. Other common insulting modifiers include "dog", "filthy", etc. Such terms are not included in this list.
A
Abbie, Abe, and Abie : (North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
) a Jewish male. From the proper name Abraham. Originated before the 1950s.
ABC : (Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) American-born Chinese
American-born Chinese
An American-born Chinese or "ABC" is a stereotype that describes a person born in the United States of Chinese ethnic descent, a category of Chinese American. Many are second-generation born after the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 were free from limits on immigration from East Asia...
, a term used to refer to Chinese people
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
who were born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
ABCD : (South Asians
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) American-Born Confused Desi
American-Born Confused Desi
American-Born Confused Desi is a term used to refer to South Asian Americans born in the United States, in contrast to those who were born overseas and later settled in the USA.-Neologism:...
, a term used to refer to Indian American
Indian American
Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
s, Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
s or other South Asians, term as "desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
," who were born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The condescending term is used chiefly by South Asian immigrants to imply confusion about cultural identity.
Abo/Abbo : (AUS) Australian Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
person. Originally, this was simply an informal term for Aborigine
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, and was in fact used by Aboriginal people themselves until it started to be considered offensive in 1950s. In remoter areas, Aboriginal people still often refer to themselves (quite neutrally) as Blackfellas (and whites as Whitefellas). Although Abo is still considered quite offensive by many, the pejorative boong is now more commonly used when the intent is to deliberately offend, as that word's status as an insult is unequivocal.
Alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
bait : (U.S.) also Gator Bait. A black person, especially a black child. More commonly used in states where alligators are found, particularly Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. First used in the early 20th century, although some hypothesize the term originated in the late 19th century.
Alter kacker / alter kocker (Yiddish) / alter kucker / A.K. : (North America) a disparaging term for elderly Jewish people. The term is of Yiddish origin (literally meaning old shitter). First used in the early 20th century.
Anchor baby : A slur for a child born in the United States to immigrants or other non-citizens, regardless of the immigration status of the parents. The term refers to the supposed role of the child, as a U.S. citizen, in facilitating immigration through family reunification under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Anglo-pilferer: An Anglo-Celtic Australian
Anglo-Celtic Australian
Anglo-Celtic Australian are citizens of Australia with British and/or Irish ancestral origins.-Demography:From the beginning of the colonial era until the mid-20th century, the vast majority of settlers were British or Irish...
, possibly of convict lineage. Based on the belief that all Anglo-Australians are descended from convicts. Particularly offensive.
Ann : (North America) A white woman to a black person—or a black woman who acts too much like a white one. While Miss Ann, also just plain Ann, is a derisive reference to the white woman, by extension it is applied to any black woman who puts on airs and tries to act like Miss Ann.
Ape : (U.S.) a black person.
Apple : (North America) An American Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
(Native American) who is "red on the outside, white on the inside." Used primarily by other American Indians to indicate someone who has lost touch with their cultural identity. First used in the 1980s.
Asian nigger : An ethnic slur against Filipinos
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
.
Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima
Aunt Jemima is a trademark for pancake flour, syrup, and other breakfast foods currently owned by the Quaker Oats Company of Chicago. The trademark dates to 1893, although Aunt Jemima pancake mix debuted in 1889. The Quaker Oats Company first registered the Aunt Jemima trademark in April 1937...
/ Aunt Jane / Aunt Mary / Aunt Sally : (U.S.) a black woman who "kisses up" to whites, a "sellout," female counterpart of Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
.
B
Banana: (North America; UK) An Asian person living in a Western country (e.g., an Asian AmericanAsian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
) who is yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Used primarily by Asians to indicate someone who has lost touch with his or her cultural identity.
Beaner
Beaner
Beaner is a slang term, widely regarded as derogatory, that refers to people of Mexican descent. The term originates from the prevalence of frijoles pintos and other beans in Mexican food....
/ Beaney: (U.S.) term widely regarded as derogatory, that refers to people of Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
descent or, more specifically, mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s of Central American descent. The term originates from the prevalence of frijoles pintos and other beans in Mexican food.
Bluegum : An offensive slur used by some United States white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
Southerners
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
for an African-American perceived as being lazy and who refuses to work.
Boche / bosche / bosch : (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; U.S.; UK) a German [shortened from the French term caboche dure (hard head, or stubborn)].
Bog Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
: (UK, Ireland) a person of common or low class Irish ancestry.
Bohunk : (North America) a person of east-central European descent. Originally referred to those of Bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
(now Czech Republic) descent. Was commonly used toward Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
immigrants during the early 20th century. See also hunky
Hunky Culture
The "Hunkies" are a composite Polish, Hungarian , Rusyn, Slovak ethnic group which primarily inhabits western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York and speaks English. The immigrants came en masse prior the turn of the century searching opportunity and religious freedom...
.
Boong / bong / bung: (Aus) Australian aboriginal. Boong, pronounced with ʊ (like the vowel in bull), is related to the Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
slang word bung, meaning dead; infected; or dysfunctional. From bung, to go bung "Originally to die, then to break down, go bankrupt, cease to function [Ab. bong dead]". Highly offensive. [First used in 1847 by JD Lang, Cooksland, 430]
Boonga / boong / bunga / boonie : (New Zealand) a Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
[alteration of boong].
Bounty Bar : A Bounty
Bounty (chocolate bar)
Bounty is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated and sold internationally. It is not marketed in the United States , where a similar product, Mounds, is marketed by Hershey's...
chocolate bar, being composed of coconut coated with chocolate, is white on the inside and brown on the outside. As with wigger
Wigger
Wigger is a pejorative slang term for a white person who emulates mannerisms, language, and fashions associated with African-American culture, particularly hip hop in the United States or the Grime/Garage scene in Britain. The term is a portmanteau of either wannabe or white and nigger...
, this is both a subcultural and ethnic slur. The immediate target is criticized for having the cultural values of a different ethnic group, with the implication that the ethnic group in question is bad or inferior. Coconut and Oreo
Oreo
Oreo is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods. The current design consists of a sweet, white filling commonly referred to as 'cream' or 'creme', sandwiched between two circular chocolate or golden cookie pieces....
are used in the same way.
Brownie : (U.S.) a. a person of mixed white and black ancestry; a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
.
- b. (U.S.) a young, brown-skinned person 1940s–1950s.
Buddhahead : (U.S.) an Asian; used by Calvinist author R. J. Rushdoony in one of his books.
Bule
Bule
Bule is a commonly used word in Indonesia to describe a foreigner, especially Caucasians.Many dictionaries point out that the strict definition of the word is albino. However, this definition have lost usage in both spoken and written form over the English loanword, albino...
: (Indonesian) is a commonly used word in Indonesia to describe a foreigner, especially Caucasians. Means Albino; sometimes used in pejorative manner.
Buffie : a. Black person.
- b. (U.S.) a young, brown-skinned person 1940s–1950s
Burrhead / Burr-head / Burr head: (U.S.) a black person (referencing stereotypical hair type).
C
Camel JockeyJockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
: An insulting term for people of Middle Eastern descent.
CBCD : (Subcontinent
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
als in Canada) – Canadian-Born Confused Desi – Similar to ABCD, but used for Canadian-born South Asians who are confused about their cultural identity.
Charlie : 1) (African-American, 1960s-1970s) A mildly derogatory term used to refer to white people as a reified collective oppressor group, similar to The Man or The System.
2) (Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
military slang) Non-pejorative slang term used by American troops as a shorthand term for Vietnamese guerrillas. Derived from the verbal shorthand for "Victor Charlie", the NATO phonetic alphabet
NATO phonetic alphabet
The NATO phonetic alphabet, more accurately known as the NATO spelling alphabet and also called the ICAO phonetic or spelling alphabet, the ITU phonetic alphabet, and the international radiotelephony spelling alphabet, is the most widely used spelling alphabet...
for VC, the abbreviation for Viet Cong. Other references to the Viet Cong included "Mr. Charles" as a rueful admission of the skill at asymmetric warfare.
Chee-chee, Chi-chi : An Anglo-Indian or Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
half-caste [probably from Hindi chi-chi fie!, literally, dirt] Also can refer to English spoken with a Southwest Asian accent.
Cheese-eating surrender monkey : (UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) A Frenchman, from the defeat of the French against the German in 1940, and the huge variety of cheeses originating from France. Gained popularity after the term was used on an episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
.
Ching Chong
Ching Chong
Ching chong is a pejorative term sometimes employed by speakers of the English language to mock people of Chinese ancestry, or other Asians who may look Chinese....
: (U.S. and Canada) Mocking the language of or a person of perceived Chinese or East Asian descent. An offensive term which has raised considerable controversy when used by celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
.
Chinaman : found offensive, used in the gold rush and railway-construction eras in western North America, when discrimination against Chinese was common. Though widely used historically without offensive intent, the term today generates controversy when still used in geographic places associated or resembling Chinese. Fowler's Dictionary of English Usage as late as 1956 describes it as the term for a Chinese person, whereas the term Chinese was only used as an adjective for things. Though it is widely used as an ironic self-reference by many North Americans of Chinese descent, and is still heard in the lyrics to the 1970s song "Kung Fu Fighting" and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
movie song "Tokyo Drift" by the Teriyaki Boyz
Teriyaki Boyz
Teriyaki Boyz is a Japanese hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan. The group consists of Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme, Verbal from M-Flo, rapper Wise and Nigo, the DJ and founder of the popular Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape...
, it tends to generate objections in modern times, especially in the US where Asian-American is the preferred nomenclature. (Note that in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, the term "chinaman" is used in a non-ethnic sense to refer to a left-handed bowler who uses a wrist spin action
Left-arm unorthodox spin
Left-arm unorthodox spin, or chinaman, is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket using the hand wrist. Left-arm unorthodox spin bowlers use a wrist hand action to spin the ball which turns from off to leg side of the cricket pitch...
, and that a chinaman was also a type of 18th and 19th C. merchant ship, or a dealer in china ware.)
Chink/Chinky
Chink
Chink, chinki, chinky or chinkie is a pejorative term referring mainly to a person of Chinese ethnicity but sometimes generalized to refer to any person of East Asian descent...
: (U.S., UK, and India) used to refer to people of perceived Chinese descent
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, and by extension for other East Asians. Considered extremely derogatory, although at least one US school proudly used the term as a sports mascot until 1980.
Cholo
Cholo
Cholo is an ethnic slur created by Hispanic criollos in the 16th century, and it has been applied to individuals of mixed or pure American Indian ancestry, or other racially mixed origin. The precise usage of "cholo" has varied widely in different times and places...
: (Latin American Spanish, USA) used in Latin America to refer to people of perceived Amerindian or African slaves descent; used in the USA to refer to people of perceived Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
descent, especially teenagers and young people
Young People
Young People is a 1961 Mexican crime film directed by Luis Alcoriza. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Teresa Velázquez - Olga * Julio Alemán - El Gato* Adriana Roel - Alicia...
in the lowrider
Lowrider
]A lowrider is a style of car originated by Chicano communities that sits lower to the ground than most other cars. Many lowriders have their suspension systems modified so that their ride can change height at the flip of a switch...
subculture. It may be derogatory depending on circumstances. Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo
Alejandro Toledo
Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique is a politician who was President of Peru from 2001 to 2006. He was elected in April 2001, defeating former President Alan García...
was nicknamed "el Cholo".
Chonky : refers to a person of Chinese heritage with white attributes whether being a personality aspect or physical aspect.
Christ killer : a Jew, an allusion to Jewish deicide
Jewish deicide
Jewish deicide is a belief that places the responsibility for the death of Jesus on the Jewish people as a whole.This deicide accusation is expressed in the ethnoreligious slur "Christ-killer." As a part of Second Vatican Council , the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Paul VI issued a declaration...
. On occasion it can also be used as an anti-Italian
Anti-Italianism
Anti-Italianism is a hostility toward Italian people utilizing stereotypes about them, such as the idea that the Italians are tolerant of violence, political corruption, Italy's former alliance with Nazi Germany and criminal groups such as the Mafia...
slur on the basis the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, as ancestors of the present-day Italians, executed Jesus.
Chug: (Canada) refers to an individual of aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
descent.
Coconut: (US) A person of Hispanic descent who's accused of acting white. A Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
. Named after the coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, the nut from the coconut palm. A black person who exhibits behaviour associated with caucasians; (US) a black person trying to be 'white'. A black person who acts white An individual of South Asian (typically Dravidian) descent, who is accused of trying to be 'white'.
Coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
: (North America) unskilled Asian labor, usually Chinese (originally used in 19th-century for Chinese railroad labor). Possibly from Hindi kuli, day laborer. Also racial epithet for Indo-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean people or Indo-Caribbeans are Caribbean people with roots in India or the Indian subcontinent. They are mostly descendants of the original indentured workers brought by the British, the Dutch and the French during colonial times...
people, especially in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and South African Indians
Asians in South Africa
The majority of the Asian South African population is Indian in origin, most of them descended from indentured workers transported to work in the 19th century on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area, then known as Natal. They are largely English speaking, although many also retain the...
.
Coon : (U.S, U.K and Australia) a black person. Possibly from Portuguese barracão, a building constructed to hold slaves for sale (1837). Popularized by the song "Zip Coon", played at Minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s in the 1830s.
Coonass
Coonass
Coonass, or Coon-ass, is used in reference to a person of Cajun ethnicity. Many consider it an insult but others consider it a compliment or badge of honor. Although many Cajuns use the word in regard to themselves, other Cajuns view the term as an ethnic slur against the Cajun people, especially...
, or Coon-ass: (U.S.) a person of Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
ethnicity.
Cracker
Cracker (pejorative)
Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a pejorative term for white people. It is an ethnic slur that is especially used for the white inhabitants of the U.S. states of Georgia and Florida , but it is also used throughout the United States.-Etymology:One theory holds that the term comes from the...
: (U.S.) poor Appalachian or poor Southerner, a white person, first used in the 19th century.
Crow : a black person, spec. a black woman.
Cunt-eyed : (U.S.) adjective: a person with slanted eyes (first used in the 1910s)
Curry-muncher/Curry-slurper : (Australia, Africa, New Zealand) a person of East India
East India
East India is a region of India consisting of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa. The states of Orissa and West Bengal share some cultural and linguistic characteristics with Bangladesh and with the state of Assam. Together with Bangladesh, West Bengal formed the...
n origin.
D
Dago: (UK and Commonwealth) Refers to Italians, Spaniards, or PortuguesePortuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, possibly derived from the Spanish name, "Diego," or a corruption of the title Hidalgo
Hidalgo (Spanish nobility)
A hidalgo or fidalgo is a member of the Spanish and Portuguese nobility. In popular usage it has come to mean the non-titled nobility. Hidalgos were exempt from paying taxes, but did not necessarily own real property...
(member of the Gentry, from Spanish > hijo de algo "son of someone [important]"). 2) (U.S.) An Italian or person of Italian descent.
Darky / darkey / darkie: noun. Used as a term for a black person, which may cause offence. Randall Kennedy
Randall Kennedy
Randall L. Kennedy is an American Law professor and author at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law and focuses his research on the intersection of racial conflict and legal institutions in American life...
's Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word
Nigger (2002 book)
Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word is a 2002 book by Professor Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law School about the history and sociology of the word "nigger"....
notes that some judges have considered "darky" a "term of endearment
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
." See also Minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
. In South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, however, it is not considered either racist or offensive, but is quite acceptable
Dink: an Asian, esp. a Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
. Also used as a disparaging term for a North Vietnamese soldier or guerrilla in the Vietnam War. Origin: 1965–70, Americanism
Dogan, dogun : (CAN) Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
[19th century on; origin uncertain: perhaps from Dugan, an Irish surname].
Dune coon : (US) Derogatory term used for Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s. By analogy with sand nigger, below.
E
Eight ball : A Negro; slang, usually used disparaginglyEyetie : (British) an Italian person; slang, usually used disparagingly. Originated through the mispronunciation of "Italian" as "Eye-talian."
F
FenianFenian
The Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
: (Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and west of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Protestants) originally the name of a political movement, the Fenian Brotherhood
Fenian Brotherhood
The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organization founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians"...
, but now a derogatory term aimed at Catholics
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, especially those thought to sympathise with the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
.
Flip : (Western World) A derogatory term for Filipinos
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
.
Free Stater : (Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) a citizen of the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, especially to Ulster Protestants. Also used by Irish Republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
to refer to Irish people who they believe are less than patriotic.
Fresh off the boat : (sometimes shortened to "F.O.B." or "FOB"), a derogatory term for people of foreign nationality, who have arrived in a host nation as tourists, immigrants, students, or most commonly, as work permit applicants.
Fritz : (UK, France, Hungary ("fricc"), Poland [Fryc], Russia [фриц] ) a German [from Friedrich (Frederick)].
Frog : (Canada, UK and US) A French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
person. Prior to 19th century, referred to the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
(as they were stereotyped as being marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
-dwellers). When France became Britain's main enemy, replacing the Dutch, the epithet transferred to them, due to the French recipe for eating frogs' legs (see comparable French term Rosbif). Also used in Canada to refer to both the French and French Canadians, and occasionally incorrectly as more broadly to people from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
who are not, in fact, necessarily French or French speaking.
Fuzzy-Wuzzy
Fuzzy-Wuzzy
Fuzzy-Wuzzy is a poem by the English author and poet Rudyard Kipling, published in 1892 as part of Barrack Room Ballads. It describes the respect of the ordinary British soldier for the bravery of the Hadendoa warriors who fought the British army in the Sudan.-Background:"Fuzzy-Wuzzy" was the term...
: (UK) Colonialist term used to refer to the Hadendoa
Hadendoa
Hadendoa is the name of a nomadic subdivision of the Beja people. Other Beja tribes include the Bisharin and Ababda. The area inhabited by the Hadendoa is today parts of Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea.-Overview:...
warriors in the 19th Century. Not applicable in Australia, see Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels
Fuzzy wuzzy angels
The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels was the name given by Australian troops to a group of Papua New Guinean people who, during World War II, assisted and escorted injured Australian troops down the Kokoda trail...
G
Gable : a black person.Gaijin
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
: (JP) a derogatory term for any non-Japanese person. Shortened form of 'Gaikokujin' (person from another country). Used often against Caucasians.
Gin : (AUS) an Aboriginal woman.
Gin jockey : (AUS) a white person having casual sex with an Aboriginal woman. Pejorative. See also gin burglar
Golliwog : A predominately UK expression which originally was a children's literature character and type of black doll but which eventually became to be used as a jibe against people with dark skin, most commonly Afro-Caribbeans.
Gook-eye, Gooky, Gook
Gook
Gook is a derogatory term for East Asians which came to prominence in reference to enemy soldiers. U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines in the early 20th century used the word to refer to Filipinos. The term continued to be used by American soldiers stationed around the world to refer to...
: a derogatory term for Asians, used especially for enemy soldiers. Its use as an ethnic slur has been traced to U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in the early 20th century. The earliest recorded example is dated 1920. It gained widespread notice as a result of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Goy
Goy
is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...
, Goyim, Goyum: A Hebrew biblical
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
term for "Nation" or "People". By Roman times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". In English, usage may be controversial, it can be assigned pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
ly to non-Jews.
Greaseball, Greaser: A person of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent. It can also refer to any person of Mediterranean / Southern European descent or Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
descent.
Gringo
Gringo
Gringo is a slang Spanish and Portuguese word used in Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, to denote foreigners, often from the United States. The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into...
: a foreigner; especially used disparagingly against North Americans and North Europeans in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. (from the Spanish word "griego", meaning Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. The use of the term Greek for something foreign or unintelligible is also seen in the similar expression "it's Greek to me".) The term lends itself to derogatory or paternalistic connotations, but in most of the contexts it may not be meant pejoratively.
Groid: (US) A black person. Offensive. Derived from "negroid".
Gub, Gubba : (AUS) Aboriginal pejorative term for white people
Güero : Mexican term for a light-skinned person.
Gweilo
Gweilo
Gweilo or Gwailo is a common Cantonese slang term for foreigners, and has a long history of racially deprecatory use. If there is some racially deprecatory meaning or it is expressive of hate, it is shown by the addition of the adjective, sei or as a prefix: seigwailo...
, gwailo, or kwai lo (鬼佬) : (used in South of Mainland China and Hong Kong) A White man. Loosely translated as "foreign devil;" more literally, might be "ghost dude/bloke/guy/etc." Gwei means "ghost." The color white is associated with ghosts in China. A lo is a regular guy (i.e. a fellow, a chap, or a bloke). Once a mark of xenophobia, the word is now in general, informal use but still considered derogatory.(Actually to many local Hong Kong people,this term have cutty or even superior respectful kind of meaning)
Guido
Guido (slang)
Guido is a slang term for a lower-class or working-class urban Italian-American. The guido stereotype is multi-faceted. Originally, it was used as a demeaning term for Italian-Americans in general. More recently, it has come to refer to Italians who conduct themselves as thugs with an overtly...
: (US) An Italian-American male. Usually offensive. Derives from the Italian given name, Guido. Used mostly in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
as a stereotype for working-class urban Italian-Americans.
Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Ginzo: A person of Italian birth or descent. Most likely derived from "Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
Negro," implying that Italians are dark or swarthy-skinned like the natives of Guinea. The diminutive "Ginzo" probably dates back to World War II and is derived from Australian slang picked up by US servicemen in the Pacific Theater.
Gypsy, Gyppo, gippo, gypo, gyppie, gyppy, gipp : a. A Romani people . b. (UK and Australia) Egyptians.
H
Hairyback : (South Africa) Derogatory term for AfrikanerAfrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
s
Hajji
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
, Hadji, Haji : (US) Used by some U.S. servicemembers to describe Iraqis, Arabs, Afghans, or Middle Eastern and South Asian people in general. Derived from the honorific Al-Hajji, the title given to a Muslim who has completed the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
(pilgrimage to Mecca).
Half-breed
Half-breed
Half-breed is an historic term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American and white European parentage...
: A derogatory term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American (especially North American) and white European parentage. Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
is a French term for half-breed.
Half Caste : (UK) Derogatory term against people who are born of mixed race. Often shortened to 'Halfie'.
Haole
Haole
Haole , in the Hawaiian language, is generally used to refer to an individual that fits one of the following: "White person, American, Englishman, Caucasian; American, English; formerly, any foreigner; foreign, introduced, of foreign origin, as plants, pigs, chickens"...
: (US, Hawaiian) A non-native, used by Hawaiians mainly to refer to whites (less commonly to refer to non-Hawaiians). Can be used neutrally, dependent on context.
Heeb, Hebe: (U.S.) offensive term for a Jewish person, derived from the word "Hebrew
Hebrews
Hebrews is an ethnonym used in the Hebrew Bible...
".
Hindoo : (AUS) 19th century, Hindu. Often not offensive.
Honky
Honky
Honky is a racial slur for white people, predominantly heard in the United States...
also spelled "honkey" or "honkie" : (1) (U.S.) An offensive term for a white person. Derived from an African-American pronunciation of "hunky
Hunky Culture
The "Hunkies" are a composite Polish, Hungarian , Rusyn, Slovak ethnic group which primarily inhabits western Pennsylvania and Upstate New York and speaks English. The immigrants came en masse prior the turn of the century searching opportunity and religious freedom...
", the disparaging term for a Hungarian laborer. The first record of its use as an insulting term for a white person dates from the 1950s.
House Nigger / House negro : (U.S.) A derogatory term for affluent or highly educated African-Americans. Derived from the fact that African slaves who worked in the homes of their masters gained their favor, and were able to advance socially by reporting suspicious slaves and or activity.
Hun : (U.S. and U.K.) 1) A derogatory term for Germans, especially German soldiers; popular during World War I. Derived from a speech given by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany to the German contingent sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
in which he exhorted them to "be like Huns" (i.e., savage and ruthless) to their Chinese enemy. 2) An offensive term for a Protestant in Northern Ireland or historically, a member of the British military in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
("Britannia's huns").
Hymie : (U.S.) offensive term for a Jewish person, derived from the personal name Hyman (from the Hebrew name Chayyim
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
). Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
provoked controversy by referring to New York City as "Hymietown" in 1984.
I
Ikey / ike / iky : a Jew [from Isaac]Ikey-mo / ikeymo : a Jew [from Isaac and Moses]
Indon : an offensive term for Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n citizens and Indonesia in general. Used mostly in Malaysia and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Injun : an offensive term for a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, corrupted "Indian".
J
JapJap
Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese." Today it is generally regarded as an ethnic slur, although English-speaking countries differ in the degree to which they consider the term offensive. In the United States, Japanese Americans have come to find the term controversial or...
: ( (S)US, especially during World War II) a Japanese soldier or national, or anyone of Japanese descent. Also an acronym for "Jewish-American Princess".
Jerry : (Commonwealth, especially during World War II) a. a German national. b. a German soldier [Probably an alteration of German]. Origin of Jerry can.
Jigaboo, jiggabo, jigarooni, jijjiboo, zigabo, jig, jigg, jigga, jigger : (U.S. and UK) a black person with stereotypical black features (e.g. dark skin, wide nose, and big lips). Jiggaboo or jigabo is from a Bantu
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
verb tshikabo, meaning meek or servile.
Jock, jocky, jockie : (UK) A Scottish person, Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
nickname for the personal name John, cognate to the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Jack. Occasionally used by the English as an insult. but also in respectful reference to elite Scottish, particularly Highland troops, e.g. the 9th (Scottish) Division. Same vein as the English insult for the French, as Frogs. an athlete, sometimes used pejoratively, as in "dumb jock" (a reference to an athlete with minimal academic skills, a stereotypical belief being s/he was promoted in school simply due to enhance a particular school athletic program) or "pampered jock" (a reference to an athlete getting preferential treatment due to his/her athletic prowess and notoriety, where such treatment – such as reduced punishment for criminal conduct – would not be provided to a non-athlete similarly situated).
Jungle bunny : (U.S. and UK) a black person.
K
KaffirKaffir (racial term)
The word kaffir, sometimes spelled kaffer or kafir, is an offensive term for a black person, most common in South Africa and other African countries...
, kaffer, kaffir, kafir, kaffre, kuffar : (South Africa) a. derogatory for a black person. b. also caffer or caffre: a non-Muslim. c. a member of a people inhabiting the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
mountains of north-east Afghanistan. Origin is from the Arab word kafir meaning infidel
Infidel
An infidel is one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of a particular religion – especially in reference to Christianity or Islam....
used in the early Arab Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
ian trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s on the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
coast in Africa to refer to the non-Islamic black people living in the interior of Africa. The term is still used as a pejorative by some Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, particularly Islamists
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
in such a context. The term passed into modern usage through the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
because on early European maps Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
was called by cartographers
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
Cafreria (the name derived from the Arab word "kafir") and later Kaffraria
Kaffraria
Kaffraria was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e. the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation...
. Thus the British used the term "kaffirs" to refer to the mixed groupings of people displaced by Shaka
Shaka
Shaka kaSenzangakhona , also known as Shaka Zulu , was the most influential leader of the Zulu Kingdom....
when he organized the Zulu nation. These groups (consisting of Mzilikaze, Matiwani, Mantatisi, Flingoe, Khoikhoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
, and Xhosa peoples inhabited the region from the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
to the Limpopo river
Limpopo River
The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. It is around long, with a drainage basin in size. Its mean annual discharge is 170 m³/s at its mouth...
) fought the British in the Kaffir Wars 1846–1848, 1850–1852, and 1877–1878.) See also Kaffir (Historical usage in southern Africa)
Kike
Kike
Kike is a derogatory slur used to refer to a Jew.-Etymology:The source of the term is uncertain. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it may be an alteration of the endings –ki or –ky common in the personal names of Jews in eastern Europe who immigrated to the United States in the early...
or kyke : (U.S.) Derogatory term for Ashkenazi Jews. From kikel, Yiddish for "circle". Immigrant Jews signed legal documents with an "O" (similar to an "X").
Kala
- The nonspecific racist slur of "kala" is used against Muslim and Indian immigrants in Burma, especially when referring to Burmese MuslimsIslam in BurmaIslam is a minority religion in Burma, practiced by 4% of the population, according to the Myanmar official statistics. However, according to a U.S...
.
Keling
Keling
Keling is a word used to describe people originating from the Indian subcontinent by native Malaysians and Indonesians. It is now generally considered offensive by majority of Indians....
- A word used to describe people originating from the Indian subcontinent by native Malaysians and IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
ns - originally merely descriptive,it has come since the 1960's to be considered offensive by a majority of Indians
Kraut
Kraut
Kraut is a German word recorded in English from 1918 onwards as a derogatory term for a German, particularly a German soldier during World War I and World War II. Its earlier meaning in English was as a synonym for sauerkraut, a traditional German and central European food.- Etymological...
(from Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
) : (North America and Commonwealth) Derogatory U.S. and British term for a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, most specifically during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
L
LimeyLimey
Limey is an old slang nickname, often pejorative, for the British, originally referring to their sailors. The term is believed to derive from Lime , referring to the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy practice of supplying lime juice to British sailors to prevent scurvy...
: (US) A British person. Comes from the historical British naval practice of giving sailors limes to stave off scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
.
Lubra : An Australian Aboriginal woman.
M
MacacaMacaca (slur)
Macaca is a word used by George Allen in 2006 that began a controversy because it sounds similar to the French word "macaque". It was reported by journalists to be a racial slur against African immigrants in some European cultures; and by Zairian painter Tshibumba Kanda Matulu to be a pejorative...
: originally used by francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
colonialists in Central Africa's Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
to refer to the native population; use has expanded to other groups, including North Africans and Indians.
Mack, Mick, Mickey, Mickey Finn : a. (Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. Mick is considered more offensive in the U.K. and U.S.. From the prefix "Mc"/"Mac" meaning "son of" that is commonly found in Irish surnames. b. (Australia) a Roman Catholic [19th century on, from Michael].
Malaun : (Bangladesh) A derogatory term used to refer to the Hindus. It is considered an ethnic slur.
Mallu : Used to call a person of Kerala (Indian) origin or the one who speaks Malayalam.
Mat Salleh (slur) Mat Salleh kotek bengkok : A derogatory Malay term used for Caucasians. Originally, it was used to mock English sailors, that is, as "mad sailors"" Even more insulting is the addition of the words "kotek bengkok", which means "bent penis".
Mock / moch : (U.S.) a Jew [first used in the 1960s as an abbreviated form of mocky (qv)]
Mocky / moky / moxy / mockey / mockie / mocky : (U.S.) a Jew [first used in the 1930s]
Monday: (US) A black person. Popularized by Russell Peters
Russell Peters
Russell Dominic Peters is an Indo-Canadian comedian, actor and disc jockey. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and has been nominated for four Gemini Awards.-Early life :...
stand up at Def Jam.
Moulie / Moulignon : Offensive word for a black person, used by Italians in US. It is a corruption of melanzane, the Italian word for eggplant.
Munt / Munter : (among whites in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
) a black person. Derives from muntu, the singular Bantu word for "person" In the UK, the word means "ugly person", especially "ugly woman".
Mustalainen (sing.)/Mustalaiset (pl.): Derived from the Finnish word for "Black", it is a word for the Finnish Kale
Finnish Kale
The Finnish Kale "blacks") or the Finnish romanis are a group of the Romani people that live primarily in Finland and Sweden.Their main languages are Finnish and Finnish Romani. They are mostly Christian.-History:...
– a group of the Romani people that lives primarily in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is nowadays sometimes considered an offensive term, and in common and official context romani is considered more appropriate (see http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mustalainen).
Muzzie / Mussie : (Europe and US) A highly offensive slang term for a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
.
N
Niglet : A term used to describe a young black person.Nig-nog : (UK) a black person. – note alternative original mildly derogatory meaning in the UK: "a novice; a foolish or naive person"
Nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
/ Niger / nig / nigor / nigra / nigre (Caribbean) / nigar / niggor / niggur / nigga
Nigga
Nigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger .- Use in language :In practice, its use and meaning are...
/ niggah / niggar / nigguh / niggress / nigette: (International) An American-English slur originally used to refer to black-skinned people, but developed a dual meaning in the late 20th century.
Nip : (U.S. and UK) A derogatory term for someone of Japanese descent (shortened version of Nipponese, from Japanese name for Japan, Nippon)
Nitchie, neche, neechee, neejee, nichi, nichiwa, nidge, nitchee, nitchy : (CAN) a North American Indian [From the Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
word for "friend"].
Northern Monkey : (UK) (See also Southern Fairy) Used as a pejorative in the south of England, relating to the supposed stupidity and lack of sophistication of those in the north of the country. In some cases this has been adopted in the north of England, with a pub in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
even taking the name 'The Northern Monkey'.
O
OckerOcker
The term "ocker" is used both as a noun and adjective for an Australian who speaks and acts in an uncultured manner, using a broad Australian accent...
: (AUS and NZ) Uncultivated Australian.
Ofay : (US) a white person, unknown etymology.
Orange bastard: (Scotland, (Northern) Ireland) used by Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
or Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Republicans
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
for a presumed Protestant in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
or Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, who is perceived to be a Unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
, i.e. supporting union of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. "Orange" refers to the Orange order, an order in Northern Ireland, playing a major role on the Unionist Protestant side in the Northern Ireland Conflict
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
(see Orangemen's Day
The Twelfth
The Twelfth is a yearly Protestant celebration held on 12 July. It originated in Ireland during the 18th century. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution and victory of Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic king James II at the Battle of the Boyne...
), typically a supporter of the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
football club Rangers FC (see Old Firm
Old Firm
The Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. However, author,...
, Sectarianism in Glasgow
Sectarianism in Glasgow
Sectarianism in Glasgow takes the form of religious and political sectarian rivalry between Roman Catholics and Protestants. It is reinforced by the fierce rivalry between Celtic F.C. and Rangers F.C., the two Old Firm football clubs...
). http://sluggerotoole.com/2006/02/26/rte_reporter_attacked_and_called_orange_bastard/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2002/feb/17/northernireland.northernireland1
Oreo : (US) A racial slur for being black on the outside and white on the inside, hinted by the appearance of an Oreo
Oreo
Oreo is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods. The current design consists of a sweet, white filling commonly referred to as 'cream' or 'creme', sandwiched between two circular chocolate or golden cookie pieces....
cookie. Compare Magic Middle.
P
Paddy: (Primarily UK) an IrishmanIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Derived from a nickname for Patrick. Often derogatory; however, Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald
Lord Edward FitzGerald was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary. He was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of Leinster and the Duchess of Leinster , he was born at Carton House, near Dublin, and died of wounds received in resisting arrest on charge of treason.-Early years:FitzGerald spent most of his...
, a major leader of the United Irishmen of 1798, proclaimed himself proudly "a Paddy and no more" and stated that "he desired no other title than this".
Paki (Paki Paki): (United Kingdom) Used as a derogatory term directed towards South Asians (and sometimes Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern people), it is usually considered offensive when used by a non-Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
in the UK.
Poppadom: (United Kingdom) Used as a derogatory term directed towards South Asians (and sometimes Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern people). The term was most infamously used during a Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy
Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy
The Celebrity Big Brother racism controversy was a series of events related to incidents of perceived racist behaviour by contestants on the television series Celebrity Big Brother 2007 shown on British television station Channel 4...
.
Pancake Face, Pancake : An Asian person
Pepper or Pepsi: (Canada) a French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
or Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
Derived from the Anglo-Canadian jibe that their stereotypically bad dental hygiene was due to drinking Pepsi or Dr Pepper for breakfast.
Pickaninny
Pickaninny
Pickaninny is a term in English which refers to children of black descent or a racial caricature thereof. It is a pidgin word form, which may be derived from the Portuguese pequenino . In the Creole English of Surinam the word for a child is pikin ningre...
: a term – generally considered derogatory – that in English usage refers to black children, or a caricature of them which is widely considered racist.
Pikey
Pikey
Pikey is a pejorative slang term used mainly in the United Kingdom to refer to Irish Travellers, gypsies or people of low social class. Pikey is also sometimes called a piker in the United States, but a piker in Australia and New Zealand means someone who refuses to do something within a...
/ piky / piker : (Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) Derived from "turnpike
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
". a. Irish Traveller
Irish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
, b. Gypsy, c. an itinerant or vagrant lower-class or poor person. Sometimes used to refer to an Irish person [19th century on].
Pindos : (Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
) Originally used by Russian troops as a disparaging term for an American soldier during Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
. Currently is applied to any American.
Pocho / pocha : (Southwest U.S., Mexico) adjective: term for a person of Mexican heritage who is partially or fully assimilated into American culture (literally, "diluted, watered down (drink); undersized (clothing)"). (See also "Chicano")
Polack
Polack
The noun Polack , in the contemporary English language, is a derogatory reference to a person of Polish descent. It is an Anglicisation of the Polish language word Polak, which means a Polish male person...
: a Pole
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
or a person of Polish origin, from the Polish endonym, Polak (see Name of Poland
Name of Poland
The ethnonyms for the Poles and Poland include endonyms and exonyms...
). Note: the proper Swedish demonym for Polish people is polack and the Norwegian equivalent is polakk.
Pom, Pohm, Pommy, Pommie, Pommie Grant : (AUS/NZ/SA) a British (usually English) immigrant. Some claim it derives from "Prisoner of Mother England" or "Prisoner of Her Majesty", but it probably derives from pomegranate, rhyming slang for "immigrant". It is often used irreverently and is usually considered offensive. Many such migrants to Australia, such as Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
, call themselves "ten pound poms", because they paid ten pounds for their passage to Australia between 1945 and 1972 under an assisted migration scheme. Often combined with an adjective, particularly whingeing pom, a reference to migrants who complained about their adopted country. Often used in a sporting (especially cricket and rugby) context, with liberal use of 'pom' and 'Aussie' being used by the media; the term is often seen as unoffensive in this context, and instead as light-hearted banter by those who use it, but still possibly as offensive by those whom it is directed at.
Porch monkey : a black person referring to perceived common behavior of groups hanging out on front porches or steps of urban apartment complexes in U.S. cities.
Prairie nigger : A Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Peckerwood: is a slur that was used through the mid 20th century by southern African Americans and upper class whites used to describe poor rural whites. It is still used mostly by African Americans against White people.
Q
Quashie : a black person. From the West African name Kwazi, often given to a child born on a SundayR
Raghead : an ethnic slur used against Arabs, Indian Sikhs and some other peoples, denigrating them for wearing traditional headdress such as turbanTurban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
s or keffiyeh
Keffiyeh
The keffiyeh/kufiya , also known as a ghutrah , ' , mashadah , shemagh or in Persian chafiye , Kurdish cemedanî and Turkish puşi, is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds...
s. Sometimes used generically for all Islamic nations. See Towel head.
Redlegs
Redlegs
Redlegs is a term used to refer to the class of poor whites that live on Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and a few other Caribbean islands. Their forebears came from Ireland, Scotland and the West of England. Many of their ancestors were transported by Oliver Cromwell. Others had originally...
: In Barbados, the term is offensive to many, and refers to the islands' labourer-class white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
s.
Redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
: In the US, the term is offensive to many, and refers to Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
laborer-class white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
s.
Redskin : a controversial term referring to Native Americans, used in the names of several sports teams in the US.
Roundeye : (English-speaking Asians) a white or non-Asian person.
Russki, Russkie : disparaging when used by foreigners for "Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
" (actually, these are transliterations of the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
"Русский" (in Russian pronounced: Rooskiy) for "Russian" and the spelling Russkiy is almost always in a literary context. "Russki" in Russian simply means someone who is an ethnic Russian as opposed to a minority nationality within the Russian Federation.)
S
Sambo : (U.S.) a derogatory term for an African American, Black, or sometimes a South Asian person.Sand nigger: An ethnic slur used against Arabs and those thought to be Arabs.
Sawney : (England, archaic) – A Scottish person, local variant of Sandy, short for "Alexander".
Schvartse : A Yiddish derogatory term for someone of African descent.
Seppo, Septic : (Australian/British) An American. (Cockney rhyming slang
Cockney rhyming slang
Rhyming slang is a form of phrase construction in the English language and is especially prevalent in dialectal British English from the East End of London; hence the alternative name, Cockney rhyming slang...
: Septic tank
Septic tank
A septic tank is a key component of the septic system, a small-scale sewage treatment system common in areas with no connection to main sewage pipes provided by local governments or private corporations...
– Yank
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
)
Sheeny: (U.S.) A 19th-century derogatory term for an "untrustworthy Jew."
Shelta : (Ireland) A pejorative term for the Travelling Folk. Derived from siúilta, which means "The Walkers" in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
.
Shiksa
Shiksa
Shiksa or shikse, is a Yiddish and Polish word that has moved into English usage, mostly in North American Jewish culture, as a term for a non-Jewish woman, initially and sometimes still pejorative but now often used satirically...
(Yiddish) : a pejorative term, mostly in North America, for a non-Jewish woman. Derived from the Hebrew root Shin-Qof-Tzadei (שקץ), meaning loathsome or abomination. Most commonly used to refer to a non-Jewish woman who is dating or married to a Jewish man.
Shine : A disparaging term for a black person originating from their working at shoe shine stands on urban streets or in bus and train station terminals.
Shkutzim (Yiddish) : a pejorative term used by Jews against non-Jewish men, especially those perceived to be anti-Semitic. The singular is sheigetz.
Skip /Skippy: (Aus) a person of Anglo-Australian decent, alluding to the name of a kangaroo in a once-popular Australian television show for children.
Slant-eye, Slant : pejorative term for a person of Far Eastern origin (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese etc.) Derived from the term for those who have epicanthic folds
Slope, slopehead, slopy, slopey : (U.S. and Aus) a person of Asian (in Australia, especially Vietnamese; in America, especially Chinese) descent.
Smoked Irish / smoked Irishman : (U.S.) 19th century term for Blacks (intended to insult both Blacks and Irish).
Snowback : A Canadian working, studying, living, or immigrating illegally to the U.S. or a Canadian spending the winter in the US. Also known as a frostback.
Sooty : A black person [originated in the U.S. in the 1950s]
Spade : A black person, recorded since 1928 (OED), from the playing cards suit.
Spearchucker: A term used for an African American, or other person of African descent.
Spic
Spic
Spic is an ethnic slur used in the United States for a person of Hispanic background.-Etymology:Some in the United States believe the word is a play on their pronunciation of the English "speak."...
, spick, spik, spig, or spigotty : (U.S) a. a person of Hispanic descent, or a person of actual or presumed Puerto Rican origin whether or not of Hispanic descent. Use of the word is often perceived as extremely offensive if used by a person not of Latino descent in any context. Origin uncertain. First recorded use in 1915. Theories include from "no spik English" (and spiggoty from the Chicano no speak-o t'e English), but common belief is that it is an abbreviation of "Hispanic" b. the Spanish language. In the UK this term is more commonly used towards people of Italian/Mediterranean descent rather than Hispanics.
Spook : A black person, attested from the 1940s. This particular slur plays a pivotal role in the novel The Human Stain
The Human Stain
The Human Stain is a novel by Philip Roth. It is set in late 1990s rural New England. Its first person narrator is 65-year-old author Nathan Zuckerman, a character in previous Roth novels, including American Pastoral and I Married a Communist ; these two books form a loose trilogy with The Human...
and the film
The Human Stain (film)
The Human Stain is a 2003 American romantic thriller film directed by Robert Benton. The screenplay by Nicholas Meyer is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Philip Roth...
based on it.
Squarehead: A Nordic person, esp. German. The slur refers to either the stereotyped shape of their heads, or to the shape of the Stalhelm M1916 steel helmet http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/43-britain-allies/410-nick-names-well-known.html, or to its owner's stubbornness (like a block of wood).
Squaw
Squaw
Squaw is an English language loan-word, used as a noun or adjective, whose present meaning is an indigenous woman of North America. It is derived from the eastern Algonquian morpheme meaning 'woman' that appears in numerous Algonquian languages variously spelled squa, skwa, esqua, sqeh, skwe, que,...
: (U.S. and CAN) Often offensive term for female Native American. Derived from lower East Coast Algonquian (Massachuset: ussqua), which originally meant "young woman", but which took on strong negative connotations in the late 20th century. (The equivalent derisive for a male is "buck", and for a child, "papoose
Papoose
A papoose is an American English loanword whose present meaning is "a Native American Indian child" or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in the context of the child's mother. The word came originally from the Narragansett tribe...
".)
Sucker fish: A term used ambiguously in southern Oregon directed towards the Klamath people during a dispute over the sucker fish of the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
which was considered sacred by the tribe. Troublemakers displayed bumper-stickers with the message "Save a Farmer, Fillet a sucker fish."
T
TanBlack and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
: (Ireland) A British person, a derogatory term for British people, derived from the Black and Tans
Black and Tans
The Black and Tans was one of two newly recruited bodies, composed largely of British World War I veterans, employed by the Royal Irish Constabulary as Temporary Constables from 1920 to 1921 to suppress revolution in Ireland...
, the nickname for an auxiliary British Army unit deployed to Ireland in the 1920s and which gained a reputation for brutality.
Taffy
Taffy was a Welshman
"Taffy was a Welshman" is an English language nursery rhyme with anti-Welsh lyrics, which was popular in England between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19237.-Lyrics:Versions of this rhyme vary...
or Taff : (UK) a Welsh person. First used ca. 17th century. From the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
or the Welsh pronunciation of the name David (in Welsh, Dafydd). Children's rhyme: "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief". Generally considered offensive when used by an English person, although it has appeared in such family-friendly series as Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, where it was used as a lighthearted nickname.
Taig
Taig
Taig is a derogatory term for an Irish Catholic. It is mainly used by sectarian loyalists in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has been used in sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" , "All Taigs Are Targets" and "Any Taig Will Do"...
(also Teague, Teg and Teig): a vitriolic slur used by loyalists
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
for members of the nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
/Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
/Gaelic
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
community. Derived the Irish name Tadhg, often mistransliterated as Timothy.
Tar baby
Tar baby
The Tar-Baby is a doll made of tar and turpentine used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fights the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he becomes...
: (UK; U.S.; and N.Z.) a black child.
Teapot : (British) A black person. [19th century]
Teuchter
Teuchter
Teuchter is a Lowland Scots word originally used to describe a Scottish Highlander, , although in modern parlance it is used by urban Scots to describe any rural dweller. Like most such cultural epithets, it can be seen as offensive, but is often seen as amusing by the speaker...
: (Southern Scotland) somebody from the north of Scotland or rural Scottish areas. Used as a derogatory term to cause offense.
Thicklips : (UK) a black person.
Timber nigger : An ethnic slur against Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
Tinker / tynekere / tinkere / tynkere, -are / tynker / tenker / tinkar / tyncar / tinkard / tynkard / tincker
- a. (BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland) an inconsequential person (typically lower class); (note that in Britain, the term "Irish Tinker" may be used, giving it the same meaning as example b.) - b. (Scotland and Ireland) a Gypsy [origin unknown – possibly relating to one of the 'traditional' occupations of Gypsies as travelling 'tinkerers' or repairers of common household objects]
- c. (Scotland) a member of the native community previously itinerant (but mainly now settled) who were reputed for their production of domestic implements from basic materials and for repair of the same items, being also known in the past as "travelling tinsmiths". The slur is possibly derived from a reputation for rowdy and alcoholic recreation. Often wrongly confused with Gypsy/Romany people.
Touch of the tar brush : (British) derogatory descriptive phrase for a person of predominantly Caucasian ancestry with real or suspected African or Asian distant ancestry.
U
Uncle TomUncle Tom
Uncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
: A pejorative for an American black person who is perceived as behaving in a subservient manner to white authority figures. "Tío Tomás" is the equivalent pejorative slur by Hispanics towards Hispanics who learn English and are serious about their studies.
W
WetbackWetback (slur)
"Wetback" is a person of any foreign nationality, the usual being a Mexican who are illegal immigrants in the United States. Generally used as an ethnic slur, the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is the Mexican...
: (US) A derogatory term for a Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
person. Originally applied specifically to Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
migrant workers who had crossed the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
border river illegally to find work in the United States, its meaning has since broadened.
White Nigger / Wigger
Wigger
Wigger is a pejorative slang term for a white person who emulates mannerisms, language, and fashions associated with African-American culture, particularly hip hop in the United States or the Grime/Garage scene in Britain. The term is a portmanteau of either wannabe or white and nigger...
/ Whigger / Wigga: (US) Used in 19th-century United States to describe the Irish. Sometimes used today in reference to white people in a manner similar to white trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
or redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
. Also used to describe white youth that imitate urban black youth by means of clothing style, mannerisms, and slang speech. The 'w' at the start of wigger refers to the white person and the 'igger' refers to nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
, which is a racial slur for black people. Also used by radical Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
in self-reference, as in the seminal 1968 book White Niggers of America.
Whitey : A term for a Caucasian, commonly used in a derogatory manner.
Wog
Wog
Wog or Pog is a slang word with a number of meanings, generally considered derogatory and, in some instances, extremely offensive when used in relation to ethnicity...
: (UK and Commonwealth) A generic term for any swarthy or dark-skinned foreigner. Possibly derived from "golliwogg
Golliwogg
The "Golliwogg" was a character in children's books in the late 19th century and depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and...
" In Britain, it usually refers to dark skinned people from Asia or Africa, though any truly xenophobic
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
Englishman knows that "the Wogs begin at Calais". Wog is also a backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
for Worthy Oriental Gentleman. In Australia the term "wog" is usually used to refer to Mediterranean Europeans (Spaniards, Italians, and Greeks), Eastern Europeans (Bosnians, Macedonians, Serbians, Croatians, or Albanians), and Near Eastern or Middle Eastern people (Turks, Arabs and Persians).
Wop
Wop
Wop is a pejorative racial slur for people from Italy that originated in the United States but is also used in the UK. There is an urban myth that the term "wop" is an acronym for "without papers" as many of the Italian immigrants did not have identification or visas...
: (North America and UK) A racial term for anyone of Italian descent, derived from the Italian dialectism, "guappo
Guappo
Guappo is a word in Neapolitan dialect, meaning thug, bully, braggart, camorrista. It is often used to indicate a member of the Camorra, a Mafia-type organisation in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy.-Etymology:...
," close to "dude, swaggerer" and other informal appellations, a greeting among male Neapolitans. Although this is the term's original origin, "wop" evolved into a racial slur against Italians and Italian Americans during the 20th century, with its most common use being a derogatory backronym for 'WithOut Papers'.
Y
Yank : Shortened form of YankeeYankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
; English-speaking countries outside the United States may use it as a derogatory term for Americans.
Yellow : Designating or pertaining to an Asian person, in reference to those who have a yellowish skin color.
Yid : Disparaging term for a Jew, although it is an endonym among Yiddish-speaking Jews. Used in Britain to describe Tottenham Hotspurs fans (often proudly by themselves), which include a large Jewish supporting base from north-east London.
Z
Zog Lover : Used by white nationalists to describe an AryanAryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
who is subservient to the Jews ("Zog"=Zionist Occupation Government
Zionist Occupation Government
Zionist Occupation Government or Zionist Occupied Government is an antisemitic conspiracy theory which holds that Jews secretly control a given country, while the formal government is a puppet regime....
).
See also
- Hate speechHate speechHate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
- List of ethnic group names used as insults
- List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity
- List of regional nicknames
- Term of disparagement
- List of religious slurs
- List of disability-related terms with negative connotations
Further reading
- Burchfield, Robert. "Dictionaries and Ethnic Sensibilities." In The State of the Language, ed. Leonard Michaels and Christopher Ricks, (U. of California Press, 1980) pp 15–23.
- Henderson, Anita. "What's in a Slur?" American Speech, Volume 78, Number 1, Spring 2003, pp. 52–74 in Project MUSEProject MUSEProject MUSE is an online database of current and back issues of peer-reviewed humanities and social sciences journals. It was founded in 1993 by Todd Kelley and Susan Lewis and is a project of the Johns Hopkins University Press and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. It had support from the Mellon...
- Kennedy, Randall. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word (Pantheon 2002)
- Mencken, H. L. "Designations for Colored Folk." American Speech 1944. 19: 161-74.
- Wachal, Robert S. "Taboo and Not Taboo: That Is the Question." American Speech 2002. v 77: 195-206.
Dictionaries
- John A. SimpsonJohn Simpson (lexicographer)John Andrew Simpson is a British lexicographer and senior editor of the Oxford English Dictionary . Simpson was co-editor of the second edition, which ran to 20 volumes published in 1989, a combination of the original text with several supplemental volumes that had followed...
, Oxford Dictionary Of Modern Slang ISBN 0-19-861052-1 - John A. Simpson, Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series ISBN 0-19-861299-0
- Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, (2002)
- Richard A. Spears, Slang and Euphemism, (2001)
- Jonathon GreenJonathon GreenJonathon Green is a British lexicographer of slang and writer on the history of alternative cultures...
, The Cassell Dictionary of Slang (1998) - Bruce Moore (editor), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004)
- The New Oxford American Dictionary, second edition. Ed. Erin McKean. (Oxford University Press: 2005)
- The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. (Oxford University Press: 2004)
- G. A. Wilkes, A Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms (Sydney: Fontana/Collins, 1978) ISBN 0006357199