# Derogatory nicknames for "the enemy" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2002, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468 "2002-05-11T09:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/1 "2002-05-11T09:21:06Z")
Pardon me for posting, but…I don’t suppose anyone knows of a good resource or collection of nicknames soldiers (of various nations) have used for their enemies during various wars? (Like “Jerry,” “Charlie,” “Tommy,” etc.) The “Racial Slur Database” has been a handy resource, but I’m not sure if it’s all-comprehensive. Well, Thanks for your time, and hopefully this thread doesn’t get locked as soon as I post it 🙂 , Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/2 "2002-05-11T11:58:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Baldrick: Permission to ask a question, sir? > Edmund: Permission granted, Baldrick, as long as isn’t the one about where babies come from. > Baldrick: No, the thing is: The way I see it, these days there’s a war on, right? and, ages ago, there wasn’t a war on, right? So, there must have been a moment when there not being a war on went away, right? and there being a war on came along. So, what I want to know is: How did we get from the one case of affairs to the other case of affairs? > Edmund: Do you mean “How did the war start?” > Baldrick: Yeah. > George: The war started because of the vile Hun and his villainous empire- building. > Edmund: George, the British Empire at present covers a quarter of the globe, while the German Empire consists of a small sausage factory in Tanganyika. I hardly think that we can be entirely absolved of blame on the imperialistic front. > George: Oh, no, sir, absolutely not. (aside, to Baldrick) Mad as a bicycle! > Baldrick: I heard that it started when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich 'cause he was hungry. > Edmund: I think you mean it started when the Archduke of Austro-Hungary got shot. > Baldrick: Nah, there was definitely an ostrich involved, sir. So there you have it, **The vile Hun**. Well, I had to put it in context, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/3 "2002-05-11T20:52:00Z")
[ul]… **Yankees** …🙂 [sup]Used in many contexts, wars, times[/sup][/ul] likewise [ul]… **Rebals** …🙂 [sup]and not just those called “Johnny”[/sup][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/4 "2002-05-11T21:03:10Z")
**Ranchoth** , can you help us to help you? Obviously, we don’t want to turn this into a thread indiscriminately rattling off ethnic slurs; so perhaps there are specific ones you’re looking for? Are you looking for “non-offensive” ones, such as your examples? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/5 "2002-05-11T21:28:51Z")
Jap Nazi Charlie Chi-com Vietcong Red Russkie ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/6 "2002-05-11T22:53:49Z")
Krauts! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/7 "2002-05-11T23:20:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by peepthis \* > \*\ ***Ranchoth** , can you help us to help you? Obviously, we don’t want to turn this into a thread indiscriminately rattling off ethnic slurs; so perhaps there are specific ones you’re looking for? Are you looking for “non-offensive” ones, such as your examples? \*\* Oh no, I wouldn’t want to start a slur-slinging contest here, either. I’m just asking to see if anyone knows any sites on the web (or even a reference book or documentary) that have a “catch all” collection of wartime nicknames. I’ve looked, but I couldn’t find any myself…If aren’t any, I might have to make one myself, just for scholarly reasons. Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/8 "2002-05-26T18:11:37Z")
Some: WWI Abdul - Turk Billjim - Australian Boche - German Digger - Australian Doughboy - American Fritz - German Hun - German Kiltie - Scotsman Macaroni - Italian Mick - Irish Poilu - French Sammy - American Tommy, Tommy Atkins - British Woodbine - British Yank - American WWII Ivan - Russian Jap - Japanese Jerry - German Joe - American Kraut-German Limey - British Nip - Japanese Slant-eye - Japanese Korea Gook - North Korean Slope - North Korean Chi-Com - Communist Chinese Vietnam Charlie - Viet Cong Dac Cong - Viet Cong special forces Dink - Asian ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/9 "2002-05-26T18:30:27Z")
Didn’t the Commies used to be Pinkos before I was born . . . they were in the vernacular of Frank Burns and, IINM, Archie Bunker. And don’t forget the Buggers! ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/10 "2002-05-26T19:21:18Z")
Saracen dogs! ---
**Author:** ![Efrem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@Efrem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Efrem)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/11 "2002-05-26T22:58:47Z")
In Eritrea many call the people who live in Ethiopia names (according to their ethnicity). Tigrayins - We called them Agame _pronouced: Ah-gah-me_ (it stands for a area in Tigray) Amhara - We called them Adgi _pronuoced: Ad-gee_ (It stands for “donkey”) On the other hand some Ethiopians like to call Eritreans: Banda (It think it stand for a Italian word meaning Bandit) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/derogatory-nicknames-for-the-enemy/108468/12 "2002-05-26T23:51:51Z")
I think most names for the enemy are, in fact, racial slurs at some level (usually the most obvious one). Of course, that makes it easier for the propagandists to make the ‘us v. them’ distinction in the public mind, which is what it’s all about anyway: “Look at those bastards [with those slant eyes|who eat a lot of kraut|etc.]. They would kill us all in a second! Kill them!” So seperating enemy names from racial slurs would be tough-to-impossible.