Like ‘yank’, it all depends on the context - particularly the word immediately before or after.
I’ve heard Yank used pejoratively in the UK, but it’s more about how it’s said and what it’s paired with, e.g. ‘Typical Yank,’ ‘Goddam Yank,’ etc.
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It’s difficult to get offended by “Limey” because it just sounds so quaint and… silly. I’ll tell you what does pique me a bit, and I’m not sure why: “Britisher”. That’s a much better insult.
Only a person actually born on the island of Ireland is permitted to call himself a Paddy, and we often do. Use by any other group is deemed mildly pejorative but it’s no big deal.
It’s unfair, but life is unfair. It’s like a low-level version of the rule for use of the N word in the USA - “Forbidden unless used by those described”.
I’ve not heard it spoken, but I’ve seen it often enough in writing, on Internet forums where a lot of Australians hang out.
An amusingly offensive one that I’ve heard a few times is Americunt.
I’ve actually never heard “yanqui” used in Mexico. I think maybe I saw it on a headline once, but it was one of those quasi-communist rags that are so common in Mexico City (and I’m pretty certain it wasn’t a baseball article).
“Gringo” is common, and I’ve never heard it used by itself as a pejorative, however like panamajack indicates, “pinche gringo” isn’t very comforting.
I think that in Mexico “guero” isn’t merely just for lighter-skinned people, but lighter-skinned people that are also tending towards blond. For example with my dark brown hair, I’ve never personally been called “guero,” and any time I see it used on soap operas (Mexican or imported), it’s almost always a guy with lighter colored hair.
I also can’t imagine that it’s particularly offensive. It seems like in every town I visit, there’s always “Guero’s Tacos” or “Taco de El Guero.” (Reminds me, how common is the English possesive 's construct outside of Mexico? Obviously it’s not Spanish, but I do see it all over the country.)
Nonsense. The word is, if anything, a rather affectionate nickname for the Irish.
The word “Mick” is a deliberately offensive term used against the Irish.
And “Thierry”…
You should be careful of calling other people’s assertions ‘nonsense’ just because they are not true of your own experience.
It’s certainly true that the term ‘paddy’ can be, and has been, used offensively although, of course, it’s more general use merely observes the popularity of the name Patrick (or Pádraig) with Irish families.
This post immediately brings the “fuck you Yankee blue jeans” scene from Clerks to my mind. And now I’m going to have to watch it again. Another 2 hours wasted…
‘Paddy Power’ is a large online gambling site based in Ireland http://www.paddypower.com/bet/about-us
I am careful. He was talkng nonsense.
Almost any descriptive word can be offensive, particularly when followed with an Old english noun.
If someone called me a “yank” with intent to offend, my response would probably be: “yank this”.
You should be courteous when making comments which may be based on limited experience.
It is correct that “Mick” is also used in some social groups, in some areas of England. As a result, it is possible that your experience is different, and that people do not use “Paddy” as a derogatory term in your social group.
However, there is no doubt that it is regularly used to me and others in a derogatory fashion. It is usually linked to the Victorian view that the Irish were stupid.
Have you never heard an “Irish joke” in England? It’s not about Mick the Irishman but almost always Paddy the Irishman.
I think, as an Irishman, he should be allowed to know what he and his fellow countrymen consider ‘mildly pejorative’. I had the pleasure of living in Eire for several years and would not have dreamed of calling anyone a ‘paddy’. The term is likely to be considered offensive by many Irish because it is was originally a term used by the English to refer to the mass of uneducated Irish labourers who worked in the UK, particularly building the railways.
I really find your stance the one that makes ‘no sense’. (Unless you are an Irishman who has polled a significant proportion of the Irish population across all its counties.)
Indian culture is rife with nicknames for all kinds of groups, whether ethnic, linguistic, or religious. They are used quite freely, with varying degrees of intent from benign to pejorative, sometimes varying from one end of a sentence to the other. “Chinky,” meaning either a Chinese person or someone with East Asian facial features, is used quite freely –
Bong - Bengali
Musu - Muslim
Mallu - Malayali
Serd - Sikh (from “Sardar,” meaning “(military) commander” - “Sardar-ji” is a polite way of addressing a Sikh gentleman) - a “cut Serd” is a Sikh man who has shaved his beard and cut his hair
Gujju - Gujarati
Harry - Bihari
That’s just it, though. It’s a relatively mild word, and it’s often said with affection. My dad often got the “You Yanks helped us in the war, you’re alright” especially when he was in uniform. OAPs in Britain probably use it in an endearing sense.
I think in most places, ugly Americans are more mythical than real. We have a generally good reputation, at least in Western Europe and East Asia where I’ve visited… and perhaps not the history and legacy of conquest and colonialism that older nations have. Maybe in 500 years, there’ll be more anti-American epithets, especially in the Middle East. 
Anyone’s experience is limited. I work in construction and have been in contact with plenty of Irish people. I stand by my assertion that ‘Paddy’ has no more negative association than ‘Jock’ or ‘Taff’. Or ‘Cockney’, ‘Scouse’, ‘Manc’ or ‘Geordie’.
‘Mick’ is always a derogatory term.
Here in France, they’re sometimes called “les ricains”, an obvious diminutive for “américains”. Not pejorative that I know of, although I guess it’s sort of dismissive.
Heh, yup. Often in conjunction with euphemisms or irony. For example, calling carpet bombing “diplomatie à l’américaine” and suchlike.
I think much of Europe considers the US and its denizens as boisterous children : cute, enthusiastic, but naive and not overly burderned with smarts. Shouldn’t play with [del]matches[/del] high explosives so much.
Again, these may well hold for your experience but that is not the experience of everyone.
Do you really believe that if there was, say, a meeting of university vice chancellors and someone referred to the Irish members as ‘the paddies’, it could be taken as anything other than a gross insult?
I’m sure that construction is an area where people are very ‘robust’ in their speech.