wetback
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wet·back
(wĕt′băk′)n. Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for a person of Mexican birth or descent, especially one who has crossed the US-Mexico border illegally.
[From the fact that the Rio Grande is a common entry point.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
wetback
(ˈwɛtˌbæk)n
(Peoples) informal offensive US a Mexican labourer who enters the US illegally
[C20: illegal immigrants would swim across the Rio Grande river to reach the US]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
wet•back
(ˈwɛtˌbæk)n.
usage: This term is used with disparaging intent and is perceived as insulting.
—n. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. (a contemptuous term used to refer to a Mexican laborer who enters the U.S. illegally.)
[1925–30, Amer.; alluding to the practice of swimming or wading the Rio Grande to enter the U.S.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | wetback - (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Mexican descent ethnic slur - a slur on someone's race or language Mexican - a native or inhabitant of Mexico |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
wetback
[ˈwɛtbæk] n (US) → dos m mouilléwet blanket n (= person) → rabat-joie mf invwet dream n → pollution f nocturneCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005