Ethnic-based terms of contempt

[Victor]

The Slang dictionary, the link to which I posted earlier--at least,
volume IV, which is the one covered there--holds a treasure trove of
them, because that's the volume with both I and J (that would be Irish,
Indian and Jew). Most of LH's "Irish" terms listed below are included. I
will run down the rest later, but will mention that among them, there is
the obvious "getting the Irish up", but with Dutch and Indian variations
as well--in particular, "Indian" is marked as the American version. Also
Irish root, Irish toothache, Irish harvest, Irish whist, Irish fortune,
Irish rifle and Irishman's hurricane. I'll let the cat out of the bag
later, if no one bothers to look. Under Irish arms/legs, there is also a
cross-reference to "mullingar heifer"--an ethnic insult if I ever heard
one. (But no cross-reference to "Jewish legs", which is an expression I
am familiar with from at least three languages. ;-)

    VS-)

Laurence Horn wrote:
> Many many. I posted on this a few years back and=20
> suggested calling them "ethnonyms".  Here's a=20
> small collection from a handout I used a couple=20
> of weeks ago, specializing in anti-Irish and=20
> anti-Dutch slurs.  Many are (for better or worse)=20
> archaic by now, but appear in Farmer & Henley's=20
> Victorian-era compendium.  This doesn't even get=20
> into verbs (jew (down), welsh,...).
>
> And there are the nicely symmetrical ones:=20
> English/French pox, English/French leave, French=20
> letter vs. capote anglaise,...
>
>
> Welsh rabbit
>
> Irish apricot (apple, lemon):  potato
> Irishman's dinner:  a fast
> Irish evidence:  false witness
> Irish kiss:  a slap in the face
> Irish promotion:  a pay-cut
> Irish tan:  sunburn
> Irish twins:  two siblings who are not twins but=20
> are born less than a year apart
> Irish wedding:  the emptying of a cesspool
>
> Dutch act (do the=8A):  (commit) suicide
> Dutch auction:  a sale at minimum prices, a reverse auction
> Dutch bargain:  a bargain all on one side
> Dutch-clock:  a bedpan; a wife
> Dutch concert/medley:  a hubbub, whereat everyone=20
> sings and plays at the same time
> Dutch consolation: unconsoling consolation ("Thank heaven it is no worse")
> Dutch courage:  pot-valiancy, courage due to intoxication
> Dutch feast:  an entertainment where the host gets drunk before his guests
> Dutch fuck:  the practice of lighting one cigarette from another
> Dutch milk:  beer
> Dutch treat:  an outing at which each party pays his/her own way
> Dutch uncle:  an uncle of peculiar fierceness
> Dutch widow:  a prostitute
> Dutch wife:  a bolster (on a bed)
>
> Scotch coffee 'hot water flavored with burnt biscuit'
> Scotch mist 'a soaking rain'
> Scotch warming-pan 'a chambermaid'
> Scotch woodcock 'scrambled eggs on toast with anchovies or anchovy paste'
>
> Alabama wool 'cotton'
> Alaska turkey 'salmon'
> Albany beef  'sturgeon'
> Jewish penicillin 'chicken soup'
>
> Bronx cheer
> Winnipeg handshake
> Michigan bankroll
> etc.
>
> (also discussed in various threads; check archives for more details)
>
> LH
>
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>
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org