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Wog is a slang word with several meanings, some commonly derogatory, some not. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... Orcs are one of the races of Games Workshops Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe. ... For other uses, see Slang (disambiguation). ... A word or phrase is pejorative or derogatory (sometimes misspelled perjorative) if it expresses contempt or disapproval; dyslogistic (noun: dyslogism) is used synonymously (antonyms: meliorative, eulogistic, noun eulogism). ...

As a racial epithet in English

British racial term originating in the colonial period of the British Empire. It was used as a label for the natives of India, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. By the 1950s it had become a pejorative term used in order to offend. In modern British parlance it has become less prevalent and has been applied to any type of dark skinned person. For a comprehensive list of the territories that formed the British Empire, see Evolution of the British Empire. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The origin of the term is uncertain. Many dictionaries say "wog" possibly derives from the Golliwogg, a blackface minstrel doll character from a children's book published in 1895. An alternative is that "wog" originates from Pollywog, a maritime term for someone who has not crossed the equator. Attempts to derive "wog" from such phrases as "Worthy Oriental Gentleman", "Working On Government" (digging the Suez Canal) or "White Oriental Gentleman" are however considered backronyms. Uptons Golliwogg and friends in The Adventures of two Dutch Dolls And A Golliwogg, published in 1895. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843 The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the American Civil War, African Americans in blackface. ... A POLLYWOG is in zoology, a Tadpole (amphibious offspring, not yet in adult form) the literally belittling term for a (military or commercial) sailor subjected to a traditional, hazing-like ritual initiation when first crossing the equator Categories: Disambiguation ... The term the Orient - literally meaning sunrise, east - is traditionally used to refer to Near, Middle, and Far Eastern countries. ... A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ...

The use of the word is discouraged in Britain, and most dictionaries refer to the word with the caution that it is derogatory and offensive slang. For other uses, see Slang (disambiguation). ...

The saying "The wogs begin at Calais" was originated by George Wigg, Labour MP for Dudley, in 1945. In a parliamentary debate concerning the Burmese, Wigg shouted at the Tory benches, "The Honourable Gentleman and his friends think they are all 'wogs'. Indeed, the Right Honourable Member for Woodford [i.e. Winston Churchill] thinks that the 'wogs' begin at Calais." Wigg's coinage, sometimes paraphrased as "Wogs start at the Channel" or "Wogs start at Dover", is used to characterise a stodgy Europhobic viewpoint, and more generally the view that Britain (more so England) is inherently separate from (and superior to) the Continent. In this case, "wog" is used to compare any foreign, non-English person to those more traditionally labeled "wogs". The word is also used to describe a large, unkempt hairdo, much like the word 'mop' is used. It is used in this fashion as a derogative, but not necessarily racially. eg. "Get that cut, wog'ead". Calais (Kales in Dutch) is a town in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... George Edward Cecil Wigg, Baron Wigg (November 28, 1900 - August 11, 1983) was a British politician who only served in relatively junior offices but had a great deal of influence behind the scenes, especially with Harold Wilson. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... For other uses, see Tory (disambiguation). ... Woodford is principally noteworthy for being the birthplace of the founder members of the notorious association who called themselves the Whores Drawers in the 1980s. ... Churchill redirects here. ... For the Thoroughbred racehorse of the same name, see English Channel (horse). ... , Dover is a major channel port in the English county of Kent. ... Euroscepticism is scepticism about, or disagreement with, the purposes of the European Union, sometimes coupled with a desire to preserve national sovereignty. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. ...

As a synonym for "illness" in Australian

Wog was originally used in Australia as a slang term for illnesses such as colds, the flu or malaria. This usage has been in existence since at least the early 1940s. It is recorded in the 1941 Popular Dictionary of Australian Slang by S. J. Baker as meaning a germ or parasite.^[1] Acute viral nasopharyngitis, or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by picornaviruses or coronaviruses. ... Respiratory disease properly named influenza(say: in-floo-en-zah ). Some specific varities of influenza with a vaccination available are: A-New Caledonia, A-California, B-Shanghai. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. ...

A once common expression in Australia (now severely outdated) when you had an illness (such as cold or flu) was ‘I am in bed with a wog’. It was said jokingly and was a double entendre referring to the use of the word ‘wog’ to describe illness and also persons of Mediterranean origin (as described below).

Another use of the term, which dates from 1909, was to describe insects and grubs, particularly if they were hunting insects or regarded as being unpleasant in some way.^[1]

As an ethnic reference in Australian

Wog is also a ethnic slur in Australian English denoting Australians of Mediterranean, Eastern European, or Southern European origins. This meaning came into popular use in the 1950s when Australia accepted large numbers of immigrants from Southern Europe and Eastern Europe. Although originally used pejoratively and affectionately traditionally, the term is increasingly used more affectionately, especially by the individuals the term is used to describe. Wog is a word with definite and widespread currency in contemporary Australian English, and for the most part it is rarely considered to be the sort of racist slur that it remains in other parts of the Anglosphere. The related term wogball, meaning soccer, comes from its popularity among such people - among Australians of other ancestry Rugby football and Australian Rules football are considered more prestigious and manly. Australian English (AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... The southern half of Europe is shown in shades of red. ... Eastern Europe is a concept that lacks one precise definition. ... Definitions of the Anglosphere vary: Countries in which English is the first language of a large fraction of the population are shown in blue. ... Soccer redirects here. ... For other uses, see Rugby (disambiguation). ... Australian rules football (also known as Aussie Rules or Footy) is a game played between two teams of 18 players, generally played on cricket ovals during the winter months. ...

The term was often used in popular Australian comedy Kingswood Country between 1979-84 and was used in a sense that was sometimes perjorative, sometimes affectionate and sometimes neutral. Kingswood Country was an Australian sitcom that screened from 1980 to 1984. ...

The word was prominently used in the popular early 1990s stage show Wogs Out of Work, created by Greek-Australian Nick Giannopoulos and Spanish-Australian Simon Palomares. The production was followed on television with Acropolis Now, starring Giannopoulos, Palomares, George Kapiniaris and Mary Coustas, and in film with The Wog Boy. Greek Australians are the seventh largest ethnic group in Australia, numbering 375,703 or 1. ... Nick Giannopoulos in his role in the film The Wannabes Nick Giannopoulos (July 1, 1963 in Melbourne, Australia) is a Greek Australian stand-up comedian, film and TV actor. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For the Lynne Truss radio series see Acropolis Now (radio). ... The Wog Boy was a 2000 Australian motion picture comedy starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Lucy Bell, Abi Tucker, John Barresi, Stephen Curry, Hung Le, Geraldine Turner, Tony Nikolakopoulos and Derryn Hinch. ...

Nevertheless, the term remains quite offensive to a lot of people in Australia, particularly people of Mediterranean origin who grew up in Australia during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s as it was still very much an ethnic slur or insult.

The derogatory nature of the term when used as an ethnic slur largely succeeded in overtaking and driving out use of the term Wog to describe illness or undesirable insects.

Maritime usage

Wog is a shortened version of the word pollywog (frequently modified with the word slimy), used for sailors during the Line-crossing ceremony on the first time they cross the equator. Pollywog or polliwog is an increasingly obsolete synonym for tadpole which has been traced back to Middle English. A POLLYWOG is in zoology, a Tadpole (amphibious offspring, not yet in adult form) the literally belittling term for a (military or commercial) sailor subjected to a traditional, hazing-like ritual initiation when first crossing the equator Categories: Disambiguation ... For other uses, see Crossing the Line. ... World map showing the equator in red For other uses, see Equator (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tadpole (disambiguation). ...

This use of pollywog goes back to at least the 19th century and thus may be the oldest source of wog. Dictionaries are unaware of it, possibly because Eric Partridge missed it in his Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1937). Eric Honeywood Partridge (February 6, 1894-June 1, 1979) was a noted lexicographer of the English language, and particularly of its slang. ...

Maritime wog is a possible alternative ancestor of the racial wog, particularly since Partridge does record a usage for presumably annoying Bengali bureaucrats:

"A lower-class babu shipping-clerk: nautical: late C.19-20" - Concise Dictionary of Slang, Eric Partridge, 1989 Look up babu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

As a term in Scientology

Amongst Scientologists, wog is used as a disparaging word for non-scientologists.^[2] Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard defined wog as a "common, everyday garden-variety humanoid.... He 'is' a body. [He] doesn't know he's there, etc. He isn't there as a spirit at all. He is not operating as a thetan. The term comes from 'Worthy Oriental Gentleman', from the days of the British in Egypt.^[sic] "^[3] Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ... Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was the founder of the Church of Scientology, as well as the author of Dianetics and the body of works comprising Scientology doctrine. ... For other uses, see SIC. Sic is a Latin word meaning thus, so, as such, or just as that. In writing, it is placed within square brackets and usually italicized—[sic]—to indicate that an incorrect or unusual spelling, phrase, punctuation, and/or other preceding quoted material has been reproduced...

L. Ron Hubbard employed the term frequently in his lectures and writings.^[4]

Since wog is not in general use in American English, it is most likely that Hubbard picked it up during his period of service as a US naval officer during World War II (1941-45). An alternative source would be England, where he resided 1953-66.

In Scientology, wog lacks racist overtones, even in the UK where that meaning is prevalent. From a 2004 Church of Scientology magazine: "I arrived at Saint Hill shy, introverted and somewhat out of valence. I had been working at a wog job, and I knew my priorities had to change...."^[5] Doctrine Practices Concepts People Public outreach Organization Controversy Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by American pulp fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics. ...

As a piping component term

WOG appears on certain types/models of block or check valves, indicating they are suitable for "water-oil-gas" service, where gas normally means natural gas or propane. The letters "WOG" are always in capital letters and are usually raised—having been cast with the valve body. This abbreviation sometimes appears as "W.O.G.". // These water valves are operated by handles. ... For other uses, see Natural gas (disambiguation). ... Propane is a three-carbon alkane, normally a gas, but compressible to a liquid that is transportable. ... An abbreviation (from Latin brevis short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase. ...

Folk etymology

The term wog is often given a folk etymology as an acronym for various phrases: Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways: A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word, a false etymology. ...

western oriental gentleman/westernized oriental gentleman/western orientated gentleman

worthy oriental gentleman

whole of government. Used to describe Australian Government-wide outsourcing contracts

No evidence has been found for any of these purported explanations.

See also

• Blackface
• List of ethnic slurs
• Nigger
• The Wog Boy

This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... A slur can be anything from an insinuation or critical remark to an insult. ... // Nigger is a racial slur used to refer to dark-skinned people, especially those of African ancestry. ... The Wog Boy was a 2000 Australian motion picture comedy starring Nick Giannopoulos, Vince Colosimo, Lucy Bell, Abi Tucker, John Barresi, Stephen Curry, Hung Le, Geraldine Turner, Tony Nikolakopoulos and Derryn Hinch. ...

References

External links

• Wog Faq
• NIBCO Technical Bulletin
• United Valves, Valve Standards in The Petrochemical & Refining Industry

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