Sheep shagger

A sheep

Sheep shagger, also spelt sheepshagger or sheep-shagger, is an ethnic slur used to refer to Welsh people and New Zealanders.[1][2] The insult is the labeling of the subject as someone who engages in sexual intercourse with sheep.[2]

History

The use of the term "sheep shagger" to refer to a Welsh person has arisen from the prevalence of sheep and sheep farming in Wales.[2] It is often viewed as offensive in Wales. The insult is also used by Australians to refer to New Zealanders for the same reason[3][4] as it is in South Africa to refer to Australians.[5] In response to complaints over the use of phrase, in a television advertisement for Toyota, the New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority determined the phrase was not viewed as offensive to the majority of New Zealanders.[6][7]

Football

At association football matches in England, supporters of Welsh teams as well as Welsh players are often called sheep shaggers in football chants from opposing fans.[8][9][10] It is also used in Scotland to refer to supporters of Aberdeen.[11] In 2001, Cardiff City signed English player Spencer Prior and jokingly included a contract clause that he would be obliged "to have a physical liaison with a sheep", in response to their fans being called sheep shaggers.[10]

The name "Sheep Shaggers" has been used for at least two football fanzines - those for Bedford Town and for football in Western England.[12]

Lawfulness

In Prestatyn, Wales the phrase was the subject of a 2013 court case, after Anthony Taaffe of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, a guest at a holiday park in Gronant, called an off-duty policeman and security staff "a bunch of sheep shaggers." Taaffe claimed, in his defence, that the phrase was “a term for people living in the countryside." He also admitted a second similar offence, in which he called a police officer, at the custody unit to which he had been taken, a "Welsh sheep shagger." Taaffe was fined £150 after he admitted racially aggravated disorderly behaviour.[1][13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Man fined for racism after Welsh sheep slur". The Daily Telegraph. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Partridge, Eric (2006). The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: J-Z. Taylor & Francis: Burlington Publishing. p. 1712. ISBN 041525938X.
  3. ↑ "Australia's triumph inspires respect but no love after our boys antics". Fox Sports. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Time's running out for 'those' sheep jokes". Brisbane Times. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Sarah Britten. "The Art of the South African Insult".
  6. ↑ "Lions Diary". The Sunday Herald  – via HighBeam (subscription required) . 10 July 2005. Retrieved 5 April 2016. 'Their judgment was another setback for Donald. It is official: in New Zealand, the term "sheep shagger" is not offensive. You may speculate just why that might be.'
  7. ↑ NZPA (25 August 2005). ""'Sheep shagger' not offensive says ad board"". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  8. ↑ http://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/05/i-love-everything-about-supporting-qpr-except-watching-them-play/
  9. ↑ https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-229475045.html
  10. 1 2 "Cardiff City ace in “sheep shagging” contract". The Register. 29 June 2001. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Aberdeen football fans: The 'glory hunter', the 'true fan' and the motivational role of the‘12th man’". St. Andrew's University. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Steve Redhead (2002). "Post-Fandom and the Millennial Blues: The Transformation of Soccer Culture". Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Mitchell, David (13 March 2014). "'Welsh sheep-shagger'? I can hardly think of a less hurtful remark". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
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