Wop

Wop

Wiktionarypar|Wop Wop is an English pejorative ethnic slur for a person of Italian descent. It is derived from the Neapolitan word "guappo", meaning a person who flaunts an overbearingly cocky and swaggering attitude.

In the past, it also could refer to someone following the guapparia, meaning bravery, [ [http://www.demauroparavia.it/50684] ] i.e., the ancient honour code of Camorra, a criminal organization based in Naples and the region of Campania, which bears similarities to the better-known Sicilian Mafia .

In Italy, the term "guappo" is still used, often sarcastically, to describe those young native men who really try hard to act brave, play cool, court every pretty girl, and those that are arrogant to the point of inducing a fight.

It was brought to the USA by early Italian immigrants from the province of Campania, who named those suspected to belonging to the Guapparia “Guappi”, in a similar fashion the Sicilians used the term “Mafiosi”. Widely used in Chicago where most immigrants from Campania settled - one of its native sons Al Capone was a typical Guappo - it was confused by the non-Italian population to indicate people of Italian origins, similarly the word “Paesano”.

Contrary to popular belief, it is most likely not an acronym for "With Out Papers" or "Without Passport", one of the most famous examples of folk etymology or backronym. The reason for this is that the term was already in popular use as early as 1910, a period in which no immigrant needed papers to enter the United States (passports and visas were not required of immigrants entering the country until 1921).

This insult was recently used by Welsh Assembly Member Alun Cairns on a live broadcast from Radio Cymru on Friday 13th June 2008, when he inappropriately referred to the Italian Euro 2008 football team as "Greasy Wops". As a consequence, he resigned from office. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7454545.stm|title=Tory quits posts over Italy slur]

References

ee also

*List of ethnic slurs
*Anti-Italianism
*Wog


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  • WOP — ist eine Abkürzung für Werkstattorientierte Programmierung Wohnungsbauprämie die polnische Bezeichnung der Polnischen Grenztruppen von 1945–1991 (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza) World of Padman …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • wop — /wop/, n. Slang (disparaging and offensive). an Italian or a person of Italian descent. [1910 15, Amer.; < It (Neapolitan dial.) guappo swaggerer < Sp guapo pimp, ruffian, via dial. F < L vappa wine that has gone flat, worthless person; initial w …   Universalium

  • wop — [wɔp US wa:p] n taboo [Date: 1900 2000; : Italian dialect; Origin: guappo person who talks noisily and proudly , from Spanish guapo] a very offensive word for someone who is Italian. Do not use this word …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • wop — [ wap ] noun count OFFENSIVE an extremely offensive word for an Italian person …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • wop — derogatory for Italian, 1912, Amer.Eng. slang, apparently from southern It. dialect guappo dandy, dude, stud, a greeting among male Neapolitans, said to be from Sp. guapo bold, dandy, which is from L. vappa sour wine, also worthless fellow;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • wop — ► NOUN informal, offensive ▪ an Italian or other southern European. ORIGIN perhaps from Italian guappo bold, showy …   English terms dictionary

  • wop — ☆ wop [wäp ] n. [sometimes W ] Slang an Italian or a person of Italian descent: an offensive term of hostility and contempt …   English World dictionary

  • wop — I. /wɒp/ (say wop) Colloquial –noun 1. (derogatory) (racist) a person of Mediterranean extraction, especially an Italian. –adjective 2. (derogatory) (racist) of or relating to any Mediterranean country, its culture, or inhabitants, especially… …  

  • wop — UK [wɒp] / US [wɑp] noun [countable] Word forms wop : singular wop plural wops offensive an extremely offensive word for an Italian person …   English dictionary

  • wop —    An insulting term for an Italian, used since the beginning of the twentieth century. It is said to derive from guappo, meaning ‘dandy, dude, stud’, used as a greeting by male Neapolitans to one another. ‘You dirty Wop’ is used in anger by a… …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

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