Where did the origin of the ethnic slur "wop" come from? what's the background meaning? I don't get it.

Answer 1

"Perhaps the most popular of all slurs used in the United States to refer to people of Italian descent (the runners-up being "dago" and "guinea"), "wop" first came into frequent use in the first two decades of the 20th century. It has since spread throughout the English-speaking world. Credible sources universally agree upon the word’s etymology. Apparently, the Spanish word guapo, meaning "dandy," was carried to Sicily by Spanish soldiers, where it became part of the Sicilian/Neapolitan dialect as guappo. Guappo, with two P’s, became a term of affection, meaning something along the lines of "handsome guy" or "dude". Italians who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century brought the term with them, not as a slur, but as a term of affection for one another. In time, guappo, shortened and spelled phonetically, was adopted as a derisive term for Italian-Americans by their new countrymen."

For more information, visit the Interactive Dictionary of Racial Language at http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/wop.htm.

Answer 2

No kidding, Tansy. Thus the use of the term "ethnic slur".

I'm Irish and always thought that "Mic" has to be the stupidest ethnic slur ever. Why on earth would a syllable from a name be considered an insult?

Answer 3

people arriving in Ellis island Without papers W>O>P

had wop stamped on their forms for country of origin

Answer 4

Everyone here's right, but to synchronize: it's a little outdated, but offensive nonetheless. It started as an acronym for 'WithOut Papers" and was/is used in reference to Italian Americans.

Answer 5

JCCMA has it, it means "With Out Papers", something like "Illegal Aliens" would mean today.

Answer 6

that is a bad word for an italian... never call them that!

Answer 7

never heard of it