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nationality nicknames
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I've just learned that a 'SWEATY / JOCK" is a Scottish person; I've heard a Welsh persons referred to as "TAFFY; Irish as "PADDY/ MICK". What is the equivalent term for an English person ?
And do these terms cause offence to the respective ethnic groups? ( I'm thinking of Prince Harry's recent remark.)
Thank you for any explanations.
And do these terms cause offence to the respective ethnic groups? ( I'm thinking of Prince Harry's recent remark.)
Thank you for any explanations.
Answers
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You're the interesting one, shivvy, so y'are. Your crowd usu say "whenever I was living in england" for "when I was living in england", even if they only lived there once. Did you consciously drop this practice? Perhaps because you became aware that it causes confusion in England? I'm not saying it does in NI, because the distinction is just not operating.
The reason you give for not being happy if called a 'mick' or 'paddy' is the standard one for all these terms. It is indeed their association (and not necessarily their combination) with other derogatory terms that may offend those so apostrophized and does offend those who insist on being offended on their behalf. (I am not denying that 'black ******* or for that matter 'fat *******' are more deliberately offensive that Buenchico's unadorned '*******' above.)
The case of Harry is moot: 'little ****' is only such a combination if you are on the qui vive for heightism as well as the weightism I implied above. Well of course the media are always on the qui vive for the poor boy's next crassitude, and he did make matters worse not better by adding 'friend' to the mix. Think of our Scottish friends in the Govt.
In a BBC discussion this morning there were certainly objections to 'Jock' as well, no doubt to the grim satisfaction of all well-balanced Scots. Like the well-balanced Irishman, they have a chip on both shoulders!
Being unbalanced myself, I don't mind being called a Pom in Strine, whether accompanied by 'whingeing' or no, and cannot understand people getting het up about such appellations on my behalf.
We English are not the only Brits, shivvy. Certainly you are, whether you like it or not. Dare I say that even the irredentists are inhabitants of the British Isles?
The reason you give for not being happy if called a 'mick' or 'paddy' is the standard one for all these terms. It is indeed their association (and not necessarily their combination) with other derogatory terms that may offend those so apostrophized and does offend those who insist on being offended on their behalf. (I am not denying that 'black ******* or for that matter 'fat *******' are more deliberately offensive that Buenchico's unadorned '*******' above.)
The case of Harry is moot: 'little ****' is only such a combination if you are on the qui vive for heightism as well as the weightism I implied above. Well of course the media are always on the qui vive for the poor boy's next crassitude, and he did make matters worse not better by adding 'friend' to the mix. Think of our Scottish friends in the Govt.
In a BBC discussion this morning there were certainly objections to 'Jock' as well, no doubt to the grim satisfaction of all well-balanced Scots. Like the well-balanced Irishman, they have a chip on both shoulders!
Being unbalanced myself, I don't mind being called a Pom in Strine, whether accompanied by 'whingeing' or no, and cannot understand people getting het up about such appellations on my behalf.
We English are not the only Brits, shivvy. Certainly you are, whether you like it or not. Dare I say that even the irredentists are inhabitants of the British Isles?
Thanks to all who responded to my original quest for a bit of linguistic enlightenment.
Unfortunately, I seem to have opened up a can of worms (never my intention)----- and would like to think that the can can now be re-sealed, since it is causing some raising of hackles (as well as blood-pressure!).
Please!! Let's all be amicable, whatever nationality we are.
Unfortunately, I seem to have opened up a can of worms (never my intention)----- and would like to think that the can can now be re-sealed, since it is causing some raising of hackles (as well as blood-pressure!).
Please!! Let's all be amicable, whatever nationality we are.
Oh dear, 4winds., I hope you didn't think I was being in any way less than amicable. I certainly didn't think shivvy was, and I was simply pursuing the points he made, with a few feeble cracks of very low-grade non-PC. The sort of 'craic' I guess he is happy to engage in, as I would be happy to be called a plastic paddy.
In fact I can't see that anyone on this thread has been less than amicable, or in the least maggoty or hackly. Only one person even took up the expression in your question which must surely be offensive to Scots, well-balanced or no! You are fortunate that it was not as 'unfortunate' as it might have been.
I feel bound to offer you an example of 'nationality nickname' that might well be said to be less than amicable: the Germans call the lot of us from the UK Giftzwerge (poison dwarves). Admittedly they were inspired to do so by lager louts abroad.
In fact I can't see that anyone on this thread has been less than amicable, or in the least maggoty or hackly. Only one person even took up the expression in your question which must surely be offensive to Scots, well-balanced or no! You are fortunate that it was not as 'unfortunate' as it might have been.
I feel bound to offer you an example of 'nationality nickname' that might well be said to be less than amicable: the Germans call the lot of us from the UK Giftzwerge (poison dwarves). Admittedly they were inspired to do so by lager louts abroad.
4winds, if you are serious in saying "I am not understanding", my best guess is that you are from the Indian subcontintent. In which case you may well be serious about not understanding 'maggoty'. It's a pun on your 'can of worms', since as far as I know, canned worms, or 'tinned' ones, if like some people on here you subscribe to the AmE conspiracy theory, are maggots, or gentles, if you are a xword fan, for anglers. and 'maggoty' means 'with bees in your bonnet,' or if you are antipodean, 'bad-tempered'.
So glad you abandoned your appeal to re-can all this!
So glad you abandoned your appeal to re-can all this!
Don't be sorry! It is perfectly normal Indian English. We have BrE and AmE, as we keep making all too obvious here, and, it is generally acknowledged now, quite a few other Englishes. Some of them don't seem to us Brits to have bred quite true, true!
You are still a bit coy about where in the N hemisphere you are from, but if Scandinavia, you practically own the language yourselves. And if N Am, you certainly do, Inuit or whatever other variant thereof.
You are still a bit coy about where in the N hemisphere you are from, but if Scandinavia, you practically own the language yourselves. And if N Am, you certainly do, Inuit or whatever other variant thereof.
Elvis
You have increased my rhyming vocabulary considerably - thank you.
mallam
Yes, I am N.B. , but linguistically there are other influences on my language than Scandinavian, no matter how much I admire that culture.
Next question??
P.S. My great-grandfather went to Australia and is buried in N.S.W. ----- Cassino??
You have increased my rhyming vocabulary considerably - thank you.
mallam
Yes, I am N.B. , but linguistically there are other influences on my language than Scandinavian, no matter how much I admire that culture.
Next question??
P.S. My great-grandfather went to Australia and is buried in N.S.W. ----- Cassino??
4w, you make me feel as stupid as I did about the crossword question I asked today, but what does "Yes, I am N.B." mean? Did I mention any N.B. somewhere here? Are you codding me? Scandinavian influences are good ones to have. We all do have them, esp. N Brits, but that's not it, is it? Not with "I am not understanding". You tease.
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