Wop
Derogatory slang term for Italian immigrants. Meaning, With Out Papers. An immigrant without papers. In the current U.S. press, this person is called an Illegal alien. What is the difference between the current persons without documents ( Wops) and the traditional immigrants of Italian, Irish, Finnish, German, and other immigrant groups?
The difference is changes in the U.S. immigration law. These laws began to change after 1900. They were further racialized in the 1920’s. The 1960’s Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in immigration law.
The current WOPs seek the same opportunities to earn a living and to feed their families as earlier immigrants.
Instead of calling them “illegal aliens” I recommend use of WOP.
3 comments:
??? WOP / W.O.P / Guappo / Guapo ???
GO TO www.AmericanWop.com for more information.
The word wop was a standard word used in the English language dictionaries. Now it is used with the same meaning without being designated with that use in the dictionaries. To remove conflict I could see no place where it was used to mean Without Papers but before 1850 I found:
The initials W.O.P. were used to signify Warrants, Orders, Passes (as published in Albany 1860 by Weed – Parsons and Company.) This is where the confusion came with the line Without Papers. The letters for without papers would simply be—WP.
W.O.P—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was used by the United States Government and some states to represent documents from the old country. W.O.P.—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was also used on Government documents next to the names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary published shortly after my lifetime in 1959—Wop is a person of dark skin; of latin or Italian decent. But already the meaning and usage had been washed out.
From the Progressive Dictionary of the English Language of: The Progressive Publishing Company, Chicago 1885 we get:
Wop is "to whop". Specifically "Old Osborne was highly delighted when Gregory wopped her third boy in Russle-square.
While Wop was sometimes used generically to mean any darker skinned laborers that predominately but not necessarily came from Eastern Europe. In all reality it was to signify: labor that could be used till dead. There was no value by rich management and or company owners to fret about the lives of Wop. Those who did the hardest work and did not often speak English.
These lives were documented in: The Wop in the Track Gang – An exaggerated arraignment of conditions affecting unskilled track labor from the Railway review Vol. 59 p.373 Sept. 16 1917 and 1916 DT Ciolli - The Immigrants in America Review, 1916
Further the word Wop is found in common jargon and in poems that are still popular(21st century.) Authors such as Runyon and Kipling are important studies in schools but their words—quickly forgotten.
From: The New World Edition of the Works of Rudyard Kipling: Just so stories for little children. Stalky & Co 1912 By Rudyard Kipling, Charles Wolcott Balestier.
Fifty North and Forty West!
By
Rudyard Kipling
When the cabin port-holes are dark and green
Because of the seas outside;
When the ship goes wop
(with a wiggle between)
And the steward falls into the soup-tureen,
And the trunks begin to slide;
When Nursey lies on the floor in a heap,
And Mummy tells you to let her sleep,
And you aren't waked or washed or dressed,
Why, then you will know (if you haven't guessed)
You're "Fifty North and Forty West!"
??? WOP / W.O.P / Guappo / Guapo ???
Check this out on www.AmericanWop.com for more information..
The word wop was a standard word used in the English language dictionaries. Now it is used with the same meaning without being designated with that use in the dictionaries. To remove conflict I could see no place where it was used to mean Without Papers but before 1850 I found:
The initials W.O.P. were used to signify Warrants, Orders, Passes (as published in Albany 1860 by Weed – Parsons and Company.) This is where the confusion came with the line Without Papers. The letters for without papers would simply be—WP.
W.O.P—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was used by the United States Government and some states to represent documents from the old country. W.O.P.—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was also used on Government documents next to the names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary published shortly after my lifetime in 1959—Wop is a person of dark skin; of latin or Italian decent. But already the meaning and usage had been washed out.
From the Progressive Dictionary of the English Language of: The Progressive Publishing Company, Chicago 1885 we get:
Wop is "to whop". Specifically "Old Osborne was highly delighted when Gregory wopped her third boy in Russle-square.
While Wop was sometimes used generically to mean any darker skinned laborers that predominately but not necessarily came from Eastern Europe. In all reality it was to signify: labor that could be used till dead. There was no value by rich management and or company owners to fret about the lives of Wop. Those who did the hardest work and did not often speak English.
These lives were documented in: The Wop in the Track Gang – An exaggerated arraignment of conditions affecting unskilled track labor from the Railway review Vol. 59 p.373 Sept. 16 1917 and 1916 DT Ciolli - The Immigrants in America Review, 1916
Further the word Wop is found in common jargon and in poems that are still popular(21st century.) Authors such as Runyon and Kipling are important studies in schools but their words—quickly forgotten.
From: The New World Edition of the Works of Rudyard Kipling: Just so stories for little children. Stalky & Co 1912 By Rudyard Kipling, Charles Wolcott Balestier.
Fifty North and Forty West!
By
Rudyard Kipling
When the cabin port-holes are dark and green
Because of the seas outside;
When the ship goes wop
(with a wiggle between)
And the steward falls into the soup-tureen,
And the trunks begin to slide;
When Nursey lies on the floor in a heap,
And Mummy tells you to let her sleep,
And you aren't waked or washed or dressed,
Why, then you will know (if you haven't guessed)
You're "Fifty North and Forty West!"
??? WOP / W.O.P / Guappo / Guapo ???
GO TO www.AmericanWop.com for more information.
The word wop was a standard word used in the English language dictionaries. Now it is used with the same meaning without being designated with that use in the dictionaries. To remove conflict I could see no place where it was used to mean Without Papers but before 1850 I found:
The initials W.O.P. were used to signify Warrants, Orders, Passes (as published in Albany 1860 by Weed – Parsons and Company.) This is where the confusion came with the line Without Papers. The letters for without papers would simply be—WP.
W.O.P—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was used by the United States Government and some states to represent documents from the old country. W.O.P.—Warrants, Orders, Passes— was also used on Government documents next to the names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary published shortly after my lifetime in 1959—Wop is a person of dark skin; of latin or Italian decent. But already the meaning and usage had been washed out.
From the Progressive Dictionary of the English Language of: The Progressive Publishing Company, Chicago 1885 we get:
Wop is "to whop". Specifically "Old Osborne was highly delighted when Gregory wopped her third boy in Russle-square.
While Wop was sometimes used generically to mean any darker skinned laborers that predominately but not necessarily came from Eastern Europe. In all reality it was to signify: labor that could be used till dead. There was no value by rich management and or company owners to fret about the lives of Wop. Those who did the hardest work and did not often speak English.
These lives were documented in: The Wop in the Track Gang – An exaggerated arraignment of conditions affecting unskilled track labor from the Railway review Vol. 59 p.373 Sept. 16 1917 and 1916 DT Ciolli - The Immigrants in America Review, 1916
Further the word Wop is found in common jargon and in poems that are still popular(21st century.) Authors such as Runyon and Kipling are important studies in schools but their words—quickly forgotten.
From: The New World Edition of the Works of Rudyard Kipling: Just so stories for little children. Stalky & Co 1912 By Rudyard Kipling, Charles Wolcott Balestier.
Fifty North and Forty West!
By
Rudyard Kipling
When the cabin port-holes are dark and green
Because of the seas outside;
When the ship goes wop
(with a wiggle between)
And the steward falls into the soup-tureen,
And the trunks begin to slide;
When Nursey lies on the floor in a heap,
And Mummy tells you to let her sleep,
And you aren't waked or washed or dressed,
Why, then you will know (if you haven't guessed)
You're "Fifty North and Forty West!"
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