Wog

Wog is a word with several meanings, one commonly derogatory, the others not.

As a racial reference in Australian English

Wog is also a slang term in Australian English, denoting non-Anglo-Saxon Australians, usually people of Southern European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ancestry. Specifically it implies Italians and Greeks, but also Spaniards, people from the Balkans (Croatians, Bosnians, Serbians, etc.), Portuguese, Maltese, Arabs, Turks, and Iranians. It also often includes Latin Americans grouped together with those of Spanish ancestry.

Related Topics:
Australian English - Southern Europe - Mediterranean - Middle East - Italian - Greek - Spaniards - Balkans - Croatia - Bosnia - Serbia - Portuguese - Maltese - Arab - Turks - Iran - Latin American

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It may occasionally extend to people from other parts of Europe or the Levant. Migrants from the Netherlands sometimes refer to themselves as clog wogs.

Related Topics:
Europe - Levant - Netherlands

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This meaning came into popular use in the 1950s when Australia accepted large numbers of immigrants from Southern Europe. Although originally used pejoratively, the term is increasingly used more affectionally, especially by the individuals the term is used to describe.

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The process by which it has become embraced by the communities it describes is similar to the claiming of gay and poof in the homosexual community, a process designed to take the sting out of the pejorative. The process was accelerated in the early 1990s with the popularity of the stage show Wogs Out of Work starring Greek-Australians including Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris, Mary Coustas, and Simon Palomares. The production was followed on television with Acropolis Now, and in film with The Wog Boy.

Related Topics:
Gay - Poof - Wogs Out of Work - Greek-Australian - Nick Giannopoulos - George Kapiniaris - Mary Coustas - Simon Palomares - Acropolis Now - The Wog Boy

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