# Put downs with no disability definition **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052 "2012-05-16T02:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Orca\_Eyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Orca\_Eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orca_Eyes)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/41 "2012-05-18T03:02:57Z")
In Australia, we’ve got plenty of bad words that reflect the widespread discrimination. First is “wog”, which refers to people of Mediterranean heritage. Another is “bogan”, which is a derogatory term for a lower-class person - it’s much like the American terms “white trash” and “redneck” or the British term “chav”. I’ve been called a wog numerous times and a bogan twice. And for Lebanese people, there’s the shortening “Leb” or “Lebo”, which is a result of racist stereotypes of Lebanese people being gang bangers, thugs, jerks, and trashy in general. I’ve been called this even more, especially by Anglo-Aussies. It gets me angrier than a raging whirlpool. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/42 "2012-05-18T04:06:52Z")
> [@Orca\_Eyes](#): > > the British term “chav”. I’ve recently added this term to my vocabulary. 9/10 Americans haven’t a clue (in my neighborhood, YMMV) ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/43 "2012-05-18T04:31:38Z")
Poopyface ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/44 "2012-05-18T07:15:02Z")
Oaf. Weasel. Cad. Do-nothing. Slug. Skank. Sleazebag. Slimeball. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/45 "2012-05-18T07:35:30Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Nava - you got a cite for that? I was told that in my US Government And Civic Responsibilities class senior year of HS (aka the Rah Rah USA class) and it seemed suspect to me, so I looked it up…from what I could tell, it referred to people of deficient intelligence who were therefore not permitted to vote. On the other hand, that was before the internet… > > [Idiot - Etymology, Origin & Meaning](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=idiot) > > [Etymology of moron and idiot. - KOINONIA Greek Forum](http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/koinonia/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=476) Sorry, no cite, it was from my own Spanish Etymology and Universal History lessons and RAE doesn’t explain what roots mean, they just list them. Maybe your teacher got confused with imbecile, a word of Latin origin which means “person who cannot be responsible for himself due to a temporary or permanent mental deficiency” (children, morons, senile and females). But in your links, they list “idiot” as “private person” - if you read this in the sense of “the opposite of a public man”, that is “the opposite of politician”, but it comes from a culture (not just Greek, but Athens’ democratic period) which also gave us sentences such as “Man is a political animal” and where any freeman was supposed and expected to take part in the political discurse, in the management of the city. A man who chose to stay “private” was choosing to stay “apolitical”, to not take part in the political discourse: it was someone who abstained, when he had the right to vote. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/46 "2012-05-18T07:38:09Z")
> [@Orca\_Eyes](#): > > In Australia, we’ve got plenty of bad words that reflect the widespread discrimination. > > First is “wog”, which refers to people of Mediterranean heritage… > > And for Lebanese people, there’s the shortening “Leb” or “Lebo”, which is a result of racist stereotypes of Lebanese people being gang bangers, thugs, jerks, and trashy in general. I’ve been called this even more, especially by Anglo-Aussies. It gets me angrier than a raging whirlpool. While this is true, I’m wondering if racial/ethnic slurs are quite what the OP was looking for. I’m sure every country in the world has their own curious way of collectively addressing **others**. Oh, and by the way you left out Pom, Nip, Yank, Frog, Coon (or Abo) amongst many others. 😃 > [@](#): > > Another is “bogan”, which is a derogatory term for a lower-class person - it’s much like the American terms “white trash” and “redneck” or the British term “chav”. I’ve been called a wog numerous times and a bogan twice. It’s my understanding that the word ‘bogan’ is almost exclusively a Victorian term, with ‘Westie’ being the equivalent in NSW. However, that being said, wear your **BOGAN BADGE** with pride dude. I do!! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/47 "2012-05-18T07:42:16Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Sorry, no cite, it was from my own Spanish Etymology and Universal History lessons and RAE doesn’t explain what roots mean, they just list them. Maybe your teacher got confused with imbecile, a word of Latin origin which means “person who cannot be responsible for himself due to a temporary or permanent mental deficiency” (children, morons, senile and females). That “means” should have been “originally meant”. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/48 "2012-05-18T07:48:52Z")
I sort of assumed the OP _already_ avoided racist, sexist, homophobic etc insults, but realised that many of the ones that were left referred to mental or physical disabilities and didn’t want to use those either. For that matter, even things like “small penis” are sort of horrible, as they don’t just punish the uber-macho, they punish anyone who is ACTUALLY below the recorded mean 🙂 FWIW, if the OP is looking for “policitally correct” insults, it’s really hard, but the best I can think of is (a) profanity (b) talking about something specific they’ve done (“you’re stupid” may be problematic but “that’s the stupidist thing I’ve ever seen” is hopefully offensive to them only) (c) detailed descriptions of them doing disgusting things… ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052/49 "2012-05-19T01:40:40Z")
Dork. Freak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/put-downs-with-no-disability-definition/622052.md?page=2)