wetback

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableoffensivetaboo

   A racial slur in American English aimed at Mexicans and other Latin American people, especially those accused of crossing the border without permission.

   Grammar: A slur that should never be used about anyone; learners need only to recognize and avoid it.

   Patterns

   • call someone a wetback

   Teachers explain that wetback is a slur and must never be used to describe anyone.

   The historian quoted the slur wetback only to show how hostile the old policies were.

   Hearing a slur like wetback in a workplace should be reported to a manager.

Word forms

Common combinations

use the slur wetback

Using the slur wetback can lead to disciplinary action at school or work.

the word wetback

The documentary explains where the word wetback came from and why it hurts.

Operation Wetback

Operation Wetback was the name of a 1954 US immigration enforcement program, a name now seen as offensive.

ethnic slur

Wetback is an ethnic slur that reporters avoid except when quoting history.

offensive term

Dictionaries mark wetback as an offensive term.

Synonyms and how they differ

slur

Slur is the general word for an insulting term aimed at a group, and wetback is one example of it, not a neutral synonym.

epithet

Epithet is a formal word for an insulting name, and it describes the kind of word wetback is rather than replacing it.

undocumented immigrant

Undocumented immigrant is a neutral, respectful phrase that describes immigration status without insulting anyone, which is why it is preferred in news and law.

Word family

wetbacks noun

the plural form of the slur

slur noun

an insulting remark aimed at a group

slurs noun

plural of slur

Commonly confused: wetback or immigrant? wetback or migrant?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “wetback”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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