| WOP A derogatory word for an Italian.
1. It probably comes from Italian dialectal guappo ="thug", ultimately from Latin vappa = "flat wine". Appears to have originated sometime around the beginning of the twentieth century. 2. Some have alleged that it is an acronym for "without papers," and was used to denote Italian immigrants arriving at Ellis Island without proper documentation 3. It does not stand for "working on pavement," or for "westernOriental person".
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| DAGO A disparaging term for an
Italian, Spaniard, or Portuguese.
1. Alteration of Spanish Diego, a common name (fron the Latin Iacobus, Jabob).
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| GUINEA A derogatory word for an
Italian. Any person of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, or Central
Asian origin can have the term flung at them casually on the street.
1. The word is usually spelled 'guinea', though 'guinny' is also recorded. It derives from the name of Guinea in West Africa. Scholars are not certain about the motivation, but the best guess is that the word was applied to southern Europeans, especially Italians, because of their supposedly dark skins. 2. May refers to the time when the Irish and the Italians were building the Panama Canal. The Italians were willing to work for a "Guinea" a day, and the irish were too proud. 3. The term guinea was derived from a term used to describe "slaves from the western coast of Africa. 4. During the building of the Suez Canal, the British employed laborers from many places. When the workers organized to demand better working conditions and more pay, the Italians were reluctant to join them. Instead, they chose to continue working for the pay they received, which was, in British slang, a "guinea" or one pound, one shilling. Thus, an English term for money became a derogatory term for the Italians. |
