[Ads-l] "wop" = "without papers/passport" (1971)

[Peter Reitan]

There is at least one example of a transitional form, "Wappo", between Guappo and Wop, supporting the notion that "Wop" is from "Guappo".


In a story about a gang of Italian boys (age 10 or so) who stole a bunch of Italian-English bilingual Catholic picture books and sold them for profit, the name of the gang is given as "Wappo".

>From the New York Sun, August 28, 1906, page 5, column 1
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/19496912/the_sun/


[Excerpt]

"Snitcher in the Wappo Gang.

If Blinky Loretto, leader of the Wappo gang, down on Cherry Hill, had only been wise to the snithcher, he wouldn't be doing his latest 'bit' in the Catholic Protectory. . . .  There is one thing that is despised more than all others down on Cherry Hill and that is a snitcher.  When Dago Pete Bascino was admitted to membership in the gang early in the summer nobody had the faintest idea that he would ever squeal on the mob. . . .
The proceeds of the plunder were equally divided among all the Wappos who had participated in the robbery, and a good time was enjoyed by all hands. . . .
Yesterday Blinky, the Snithcher and the other Wappos were arraigned before Justice McAvoy of Special Sessions in the Children's Court. . . . Although only 10 years of age, Blinky has done four stretches in the Catholic Protectory and one in the truant school. . . .
The Court told the youngsters that if they got into any more trouble he would send them along with Blinky and cuthioned them to resign their membership in the Wappo gang if they wanted to keep out of the clutches of the police. . . . ."
[End excerpt]

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2018 9:02 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "wop" = "without papers/passport" (1971)

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
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Subject:      Re: "wop" = "without papers/passport" (1971)
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Since the "without papers" folk etymology has been repeated lately by both
Andrew Cuomo and Nancy Pelosi, I wrote a debunkage for the Atlantic (citing
Douglas Wilson's research and tipping my hat once again to Larry Horn for
his coinage of "etymythology"):

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/wop-
doesnt-mean-what-andrew-cuomo-thinks-it-means/558659/



On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 10:05 AM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:

> The bogus acronymic etymology deriving "wop" from "without papers" came up
> recently in Jonah Goldberg's National Review column:
>
> http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/447848/wop-without-pape
> rs-etymology-incorrect
>
> I see that's attested back to 1971, though there are suggestions of
> earlier oral transmission.
>
> ---
> Alan Dundes, "A Study of Ethnic Slurs," Journal of American Folklore, Vol.
> 84, No. 332 (Apr.-Jun. 1971), p. 192
> http://www.jstor.org/stable/538989
> One folk etymology for the word "wop," a common term of disparagement for
> Americans of Italian descent, is that in the early 1920s many Italians
> tried to enter the United States illegally. These would-be immigrants were
> rounded up by U.S. officials and sent back to Italy with documents labelled
> W.O.P. which supposedly stood for "Without Papers" referring to the papers
> needed for legal immigration.
> ---
> Tucson Daily Citizen, Dec. 7, 1971, p. 30, col. 1
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/23550083/
> "If anyone called me a 'wop' I was furious and wanted to slug the guy
> right then and there," [Cleveland Indians manager Ken] Aspromonte said,
> "but then one day my grandfather explained the origin of the word. He told
> me that in the early 1900's so many Italians were coming into the United
> States that many of them didn't bother to get visas. When they'd arrive on
> Ellis Island and didn't have papers with them the inspector would holler
> out, 'Here's another one, without papers.' So somebody took the letters
> 'W-O-P' for 'without papers' and that's how it got started," Aspromonte
> said.
> ---
>
> Also from 1971 is the related derivation "without passport."
>
> ---
> Monroe (La.) News-Star, July 30, 1971, p. 6, col. 1
> https://www.newspapers.com/image/32327198/
> "Glad You Asked That!" (syndicated column by Hy Gardner)
> "Wop" reverts to the turn of the century when millions of Calabrians and
> Sicilians came off their ships holding a slip of paper with the name of the
> foreman they had been assigned to. U.S. immigration officials rubberstamped
> the papers "W.O.P." -- meaning without passport.
> ---
>
>
>

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