Short for golliwog - a doll characterised by black skin, white rimmed eyes, red lips and frizzy hair.
Wog became racist slang in the UK to describe black people and later in Aus. to describe darker skinned Aussies.
Wog became racist slang in the UK to describe black people and later in Aus. to describe darker skinned Aussies.
by Hairy Pot-Herb December 20, 2020
Derived from the term 'golliwog'.
The latter as I'm sure you know have dark skin and afro-like hair.
Usually used as a racist comment by bigots and er.... Racists
The latter as I'm sure you know have dark skin and afro-like hair.
Usually used as a racist comment by bigots and er.... Racists
That afro-carribean is a wog
by Groom July 27, 2005
{ /wäg/ (n.) offensive slang. 1925-30, from 'Golliwogg': a 19th century blackface doll; or alternately, an acronym of '(W)orthy (O)riental (G)entleman' }
British English:
1. *racist* a black African or dark-skinned South Asian (usually Indian or Pakistani)
2. *Anglocentric* a non-Briton or non-Englishman: "The wogs start at Calais" (across the English Channel in France) -- British proverb
Australian English:
1. a non-Anglo-Celtic European, esp. from Southern or Eastern Europe (e.g. Greek, Italian, Balkan, Slavic, etc.)
2. an Asian, esp. a West Asian (e.g. Lebanese, Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, etc.), but now also inclusive of South Asians and Pacific Islanders
Antonym: skip
British English:
1. *racist* a black African or dark-skinned South Asian (usually Indian or Pakistani)
2. *Anglocentric* a non-Briton or non-Englishman: "The wogs start at Calais" (across the English Channel in France) -- British proverb
Australian English:
1. a non-Anglo-Celtic European, esp. from Southern or Eastern Europe (e.g. Greek, Italian, Balkan, Slavic, etc.)
2. an Asian, esp. a West Asian (e.g. Lebanese, Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, etc.), but now also inclusive of South Asians and Pacific Islanders
Antonym: skip
USAGE: Until 1973 Australia had a white-only immigration policy, so the term used mainly as a racial slur in Britain was applied to ethnic European immigrants of the post-WWII "populate or perish" era. By now it has greatly lost its sting, and many ethnic Australians have reclaimed it as a jocular term, with some cleverly riffing on it (e.g. 'clog wog' for a Dutchman, 'frog wog' for a Frenchman). Since the 70s, the wog label has been extended to include newer immigrants arriving from the Middle East and other parts of Asia, and many have come to identify strongly with it, facing resistance from more assimilated European wogs who harbor racist and anti-Muslim attitudes. The term is almost completely unknown in the United States and Canada, but in Britain it remains extremely offensive, somewhat akin to 'nigger'.
by Infomaniac January 9, 2006
by smedium gal February 5, 2010
by octopod May 22, 2004
Originally British usage was only meant when describing any dark skinned person either of African or Indo-Asian descent. It was more along the lines of the "negro" and such. THe modern Australian usage differs considerably as to include the Meditteranean races, including the non-European Turkish, Lebanese and Israeli Jews.
by Destouches November 29, 2004
by paul woods May 10, 2005