| Slur |
Represents |
Reasons/Origins |
| Burnt Pizza | Italians | Slur towards dark skinned Italians |
| Calzone | Italians | Italian food |
| Dago | Italians | Slang for Italian, originally coming from Spain. "Diego" was a common name in Italy at the time this slang was first used. See: Wop. |
| Geep | Italians | From Pinnochio's "father" Gepetto, who was Italian. |
| Ginny | Italians | In reference to popular Italian garb Ginny T's, now more commonly known as wife beater shirts. |
| Gino | Italians | Common Italian name A Toronto municipal politician recently got into hot water for using this slur. |
| Goombah | Italians | From the Italian word "Compare" (pronounced 'cumpa') meaning "a close friend." Considered a slur when used by non-Italians to describe an Italian male. Was first used by Louis Prima who was famous for bastardizing the Italian language in his witty songs for his American audience. The Goomba is also the weakest enemy in Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. video game series. |
| Grease Ball | Italians | Multiple origins. The most common being that the Italian people supposedly have an abnormally oily dermis and epidermis. |
| Guido | Italians | Northern term referring to Italians who try to portray a mafia mentality. Feminine version is Guidette. |
| Guinea Pig | Italians | An overweight Italian |
| Guinea/Ginney | Italians | Pronounced "gi-nee." Came from "Guinea Negro" and originally referred to any Black or any person of mixed ancestry. This dates back to the 1740's. By the 1890s it was being applied to Italians--almost certainly because they tend to have darker skin than Anglo-Saxons/Germans. By 1911 the term began being applied to Hispanics, although the reference to Italians is the most common. Derived from Sicilian immigrants who paid in Italian currency, Guineas. Used in the film 'True Romance' as separate from WOPs from Northern Italy, and in The Godfather by a Northern Italian character when referring to Southern Italians and Sicilians. Source on origin |
| Hightalians | Italians | Spoiled, rich, brown-noising Italians |
| Hothead | Italians | Self-Explanatory. Italian men are often very short tempered and hot headed |
| I-Tie | Italians | Old-fashioned epithet, derived from the 1st 2 syllables in "Italian" with a corruption of the 2nd syllable. |
| IROC | Italians | Italian Retards Out Crusing. IROC Camaros are popular among east coast Italians. |
| Jabonee | Italians | What American-born Italians call immigrant Italians, as in "He/she is a real Jabonee right off the boat. Can't even speak English." Possibly a real Italian word bastardized by English-speaking Italian-Americans. |
| Laposta | Italians | Italian slang for lazy person with a small dick. In some areas its used to describe someone unusually skinny, pedophilia, and I've even heard homosexual. The word has different meaning based on where its said, but it all references Italians. |
| Luigi | Italians | Famous Italian videogame plumber. Used to refer to tall, thin Italians |
| Mario | Italians | Famous Italian vidoegame plumber. Used to refer to fat Italians. |
| Polentone | Italians | Northern Italians because of the Polenta that they eat in the north. It came in response their use or Terrone for Southern Italians |
| Provolone | Italians | Italian-Americans who act "overly Italian" with attitude and gold chains (i.e. cheesy) |
| Salami | Italians | Italian body odor is often reminiscent of salami |
| Spaghetti-Slurper | Italians | Popular Italian dish and method of eating said dish |
| Spaghetti-Twister | Italians | Popular Italian dish and method of eating said dish |
| Spaghetto | Italians | Italians who act Black |
| Stallion | Italians | Like in the movie Rocky, Rocky an Italian, was know as the Stallion. |
| Terrone | Italians | Southern Italians. Any Italian living more south than Rome, very offensive, describes living standards and cultural differences from the more European north. The Italian word "Terra" means land or dirt so a Terrone is one who works with the land. |
| Tony | Italians | Started when there was a big Italian emigration to the U.S. Their Luggage would say "TO NY" (New York). |
| Tony Soprano | Italians | Suggests that all Italians are in the mob |
| Wallione | Italians | In addressing a fellow Italian, but condescending when used by non-Italians |
| Wonder Bread Wop | Italians | Used by Italians to describe Italians who are more assimilated into "North American" culture. |
| WOP | Italians | High class Italian. Stands for "With Out Papers." Started when there was a big Italian emigration to the U.S., and many were coming in illegally (with out papers). Also could mean "Working On Pavement", or refer to "guappo," (pronounced "woppo") a slang Italian (Neapolitan dialect) word meaning criminal or bully (strong person). |
| Zip (1) | Italians | Used by some Italian-Americans to refer to new Italian immigrants because of how fast they are able to speak the old language. The term was coined by National Enquirer founder Fortune Pope, Sr. and his friend Joe Bonanno in the 50's or 60's. |
| Bingo-Bongo | Blacks | Italian wordplay of African names/language |
| Black Dagos | Italians | Believed that some Sicilians are part Black. |
| Bologna | Italians | Reference to Bologna, Italy |
| Brown Pants/Shirts | Italians | From the color of their uniforms in WW II. Said by American GIs to hide when they defecate themselves on the battlefield. |
| Chop | Mixed Races | Chinese/Italian. Chink + wop = chop. |
| Dago (2) | Spanish | Apparently the British use "dago" to describe Spaniards as opposed to Italians. |
| Dagowop | Italians | Combination of two slurs. |
| Eggplant | Blacks | Slur used mainly by Italians. See: Moolie. |
| Eggplant Parmesan | Mixed Races | Black/Italian mix |
| Euro | Mediterraneans | Represents whites of mediterannean nations such as Greeks, Italians, Spaniards and Portuguese. Named after the habit of starting every name with Euro. (Eurotunnel, eurotrash, etc) |
| Fonzie | Italians | "Happy Days" character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli. |
| Garlic Bread | Italians | Self Explanatory. |
| Garlic Breath | Italians | They eat a lot highly spiced dishes seasoned with garlic |
| Gina | Italians | Female term for Gino |
| Ginzo | Italians | From Guinee/Guinea. |
| Grape-Smasher | Italians | Smash grapes with feet to make wine, hence grape smasher |
| Grape-Stomper | Italians | They make wine. |
| Grease Ball/Bag | Greeks | Possibly because of the grease they sometimes put in their hair or because of the types of food they make. Also: Greaser. Applicable to Italians, Greeks, and Hispanics. |
| Jewop | Mixed Races | Jewish/Italian mix (Jew+Wop). |
| Katzenfresser | Italians | German slur meaning "cat eater". |
| Macaroni | Italians | The famous macaroni noodle originated in Italy. |
| Makaronifresser | Italians | German. Fressen is impolite term for eating (people essen, but animals fressen). |
| McWop | Mixed Races | Irish/Italian, Mick and Wop, play on common Irish last names. |
| Meatball | Italians | Self-explanatory |
| Melanzana | Blacks | Italian for "eggplant" - very dark black people have a purplish tint to their skin, so does eggplant. |
| Melon Johnny | Blacks | Italian slang for Blacks. |
| Mingia | Italians | In Sicilian dialect it means 'dick'. |
| Moolie | Blacks | Shortened from Melanzane, meaning "eggplant" in Italian. Eggplants have black skin. |
| Moolignon | Blacks | Italian for eggplant (technically Mulignane). Could be combination of Moolie and hooligan. |
| Morta Cristo | Jews | Italian for 'Christ-killer.' |
| Mulunyan | Blacks | Italian word for egg plant, which is black when uncooked. |
| PIGS | Mediterraneans | Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Spanish. Specifically refers to Mediterranean men and their piggish behavior toward women in particular |
| Pizza Nigger | Italians | Self-explanatory (and people keep submitting it over and over again) |
| Pizzabagel | Mixed Races | Italian/Jewish mix. Popular in New York as Italian and Jewish neighborhoods grew together. |
| Portawop | Mixed Races | Portuguese/Italian mix |
| Ragu | Italians | Spaghetti sauce. |
| Rasta Fazoul | Mixed Races | Jamaican/Italian. Pasta Fazoul mixed with Rastafarian. |
| Rizzo | Italians | Rizzo's pasta sauce advertises on dumpsters |
| Spaghetti Vender | Italians | Self explanatory |
| Spic | Hispanics | Short for Hispanic. Might also be acronym of SPanish, Indian, and Colored, coming from the mixed breeds that resulted from the union of Spanish colonists, Indian natives, and Black (colored) slaves. From the OED. spic A. n. a. A contemptuous and offensive name for a Spanish-speaking native of Central or South America or the Caribbean; a spiggoty. - It dates back (in print) to at least 1913. However, I understand it first applied to Italian immigrants in the late 1800s - More information: 1938 Amer. Speech XIII. 311/1 "Spiggoty" originated in Panama during Construction Days, and is assumed to be a corruption of 'spikee de' in the sentence 'No spikee de English' |
| Spider | Italians | Reference to a character in the film GoodFellas. |
| Swap | Mixed Races | Italian/Mexican. Spic + Wop |
| Tutsoon/Tootsoon | Blacks | Origins in Chicago (particularly Italians). |
| Uni-brow | Greeks | They tend to have hairy the eyebrows that often meet and appear as one. Also applies to some Italians. |
| Whopper | Italians | Basically the idea of a WOP but in a more easily said slur |
| Won Ton Parmesan | Mixed Races | Asian/Italian mix |
| Wopalock | Mixed Races | Italian/Polish mix -- Wop + Polock |
| Wopski | Mixed Races | Italian/Polish mix |
