dago

Alteration of diego (“Spaniard”), from Spanish Diego (common Spanish name) by law of Hobson-Jobson.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdeɪɡəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪɡəʊ

dago (plural dagoes or dagos)

1. (UK, Ireland, slang, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, or other Mediterranean descent.
   • 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXVIII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz , →OCLC:

     And all foreigners to him were "dem bloody dagoes"—for, according to his theory, foreigners were responsible for unemployment.

2. (US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, slang, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of Italian descent.

   Synonyms: Eyetie, goombah, greaseball, guido, guinea, wog, wop

   • 1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 19:

     "Matilda's making us omelettes, that all right, Miss Tomson."
     "Are they going to reek."
     "Dear me, I hope not. I instructed her to leave out particularly strong ingredients."
     "Just so I don't leave here smelling like a dago."

• The word has sometimes been reclaimed in recent years by its targets, with people of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek origin themselves adopting the term. In the Upper Midwest region of the United States, the term is used for several Mediterranean-inspired food items.
• The term may have originated following British or American encounters with Portuguese and Spanish sailors. "Diego" is the Portuguese nickname for any deckhand. After transforming into "dago" in English and becoming a common term for Spanish and Portuguese people, the slur expanded in usage to then also refer to Southern Italian immigrants, another Mediterranean and Latin ethnic group.
• The Hill in St. Louis, an Italian-American enclave, is often referred to colloquially as "Dago Hill."

• dago bomb
• dago dazzler
• dago red

• Goad, Goda, doga, goad

• IPA^(key): /daˈɡo/
• Hyphenation: da‧go

dagó (inchoative daggoowé)

1. (stative) be few

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “dago”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /daɡo/
• Rhymes: -aɡo
• Hyphenation: da‧go

dago

1. Third-person singular (hura) present indicative form of egon (“to be”).

dagọ

1. genitive singular of dahku

dago

1. genitive plural of dag