Colloquial terms for citizens of (x) nation

[The_Devil_s_Grandmother]

@An_Gadai

IIRC the Germans use Käse-Kopf as a mildly derogatory term for a Dutch person, it means “cheese-head”. Wisconsin folk are called that too right?

Yes, some Wisconsinites call themselves cheeseheads. They even have hats. But I would not expect anyone outside of the USA to know that, I grew up in California and never heard of it until about 15 years ago.

@Cicero

English are Poms.

I thought Pom was an insult. I’ve only heard it used (by a few brit ex-pats) in a tone of earnest dislike.

[Cicero]

@The_Devil_s_Grandmother

I thought Pom was an insult. I’ve only heard it used (by a few brit ex-pats) in a tone of earnest dislike.

I don’t think so- at least it is used here in the same way as “Kiwi”. Perhaps some of our British members can comment.

[BigT]

@Nava

Nah, what with learning English and all we’ve been told we’re not supposed to use it any more, but for many people it just means “anybody from the USA”, no ill-will involved. I’ve heard exchanges like:

• So, your son-in-law is English?
• No, American.
• American? What kind of American? Yanki or from Canada?
  (The son-in-law in question teaches English in Spain, specializing in Conversation Practice; the questioner looked to be well over retirement age, so I hope people from several Caribbean nations will forgive her for dropping them off the list of “English-speaking countries in America”)

I was taught in Spanish class to use norteamericano for the inclusive version, and estadounidense for a person from the United States.

Also, I find Jock as a term for nationality to be odd. Here it means a male athlete (at some official level) and implies a level of stupidity for valuing brain over brawn.

Obviously Scottish people are not like this, but do the two terms have anything in common?