FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Fun Trivia
Home: Questions and Answers Forum
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


Who coined the term "dago", what does it mean, and has it always been derogatory?

Question #106725. Asked by author.

Related Trivia Topics: People   Linguistics  
avatar
bmrsnr star
Answer has 29 votes
bmrsnr star
20 year member
105 replies avatar

Answer has 29 votes.
"The word 'dago' is a derivative of the Spanish name 'Diego', which means 'James'. It was originally coined in the 17th century by British sailors to indicate Spanish or Portuguese people, especially sailors. Despite the hispanic origin of the word, in the 19th century the word 'dago' became more commonly used in the USA as a derogatory term for Italians, due to the large immigration from that country. However, it is still used to indicate Spanish or Portuguese people as well, but rarely the French."

link http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_dago_or_a_wop

Jun 30 2009, 11:41 AM
avatar
star_gazer star
Answer has 53 votes
Currently Best Answer
star_gazer star
22 year member
5236 replies avatar

Answer has 53 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
An offensive slur toward Italian's who migrated to the United States. Many worked and were paid as the "Day Goes" like modern day "day laborers". Many Italian Americans will not be offended if you know where and how this is derived.

In America, port cities were flooded with waves of different immigrant groups, most unable to speak English and unable to hold any but the most menial jobs because of it. But they all wanted to get ahead and learn enough English to become foreman instead of laborers or clerks instead of stockboys. In the case of Italian-Americans they arrived in the wake of a wave of Irish Catholics, who had fought their way through and worked their way into the better jobs the Italians now had their eyes on. To forestall this competition for their jobs the irish did what had been done to them - they made it dangerous for Italian Americans to go out in the evenings to the places where they would have the opportunity to interact with people and learn English and how to get ahead. They addressed Italians as "Day-Goers" mispronounced as "Dagos" both as a racial slur and a form of intimidation.

link http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dago



Jun 30 2009, 1:04 PM
avatar
zbeckabee star
Answer has 10 votes
zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 10 votes.
dago -- 1823, from Sp. Diego "James," orig. used of Sp. or Port. sailors on Eng. or Amer. ships, by 1900 it had broadened to include non-sailors and shifted to mean chiefly "Italian."

link http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dago&searchmode=none

Jun 30 2009, 2:32 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion

Related FunTrivia Quizzes

play quiz Derogatory Medicine
(Medical Lingo / Abbreviations)
play quiz Phrases Coined In The King James Bible
(Origins of Idioms)
play quiz For Black of a Better Term
(In the Title)

Return to FunTrivia
"Ask FunTrivia" strives to offer the best answers possible to trivia questions. We ask our submitters to thoroughly research questions and provide sources where possible. Feel free to post corrections or additions. This is server B184.