By Neena Arndt, dramaturg for The Iceman Cometh
If you want a poetically snarky insult, then William Shakespeare is probably your man (“you starveling, you elf-skin,” “thou hast the most unsavoury similes,” etc.). But if you want a down-and-dirty dig without the floweriness of the bard, then Eugene O’Neill delivers. Keep reading for some of the terms that characters use in The Iceman Cometh when they’re being less than kind—and less than politically correct, by 2012 standards. And for part one of our Iceman Speaketh series (drinking terms) go here.
Insults
BOOB
The word “boob” had been used as a slang term for “stupid person” since the seventeenth century. In 1912, its other meaning, “breast,” did not exist yet.
BROAD
Using “broad” as a slang term for “woman” dates back only to 1911. It may be referring to a woman’s “broad” hips, or perhaps from the term “abroadwife,” which meant a woman away from her husband, often a slave. From its beginnings, the term was associated with lower-class or immoral women.
BUGHOUSE
Can be used as an adjective meaning crazy (“he’s bughouse!”), or to a hospital for the insane (“He belongs in the bughouse!”). Combination of “bug” (in the sense of “obsessive person”) and “house.” It dates from the late nineteenth century.
BUNCO STEERER
A “bunco” is a swindling game or scheme; a “bunco steerer” is the person who runs the game or scheme. Dates from the late nineteenth century.
DAGO
An ethnic slur for an Italian or person of Italian descent. However, it originally was a slur for “Spanish,” and derives from the name “Diego.” By 1900, its meaning had shifted to refer to Italians.
DINGE
A derogatory term for a black person, derived from “dingy” meaning dark, dirty or sordid.
GINNY
A common misspelling of “guinea,” an offensive ethnic slur directed against Italians or those of Italian descent.
PIGS
This term is used by the Italian-American bartender, Rocky, to refer to Margie and Pearl, the two tarts. It is perhaps the English equivalent of “troia,” which technically means “female pig” but is used in certain regions of Italy as derogatory term for a loose woman or whore.
WOP
A racial slur for people from Italy that originated between 1910 and 1915 in the United States. Its origin in Italian dialect is guappo, meaning a swaggerer, derived from the Spanish term guapo, meaning ruffian or pimp.