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The Y word

According to the BBC yiddo is marked as "usually derogatory and offensive" but depending on the context.

Dictionary includes Spurs fans in Yid definition

The OED, regarded as the leading dictionary of British English, has also added the word "yiddo" to its latest edition, saying its use is "usually derogatory and offensive" but can also mean a Tottenham supporter or player.

The words come from the Yiddish term for Jew but are thought to have been taken up as an insult during the 20th Century, particularly during the time of Oswald Moseley's fascist movement in Britain in the 1930s.

Chants of "Yids", "Yid Army" and "yiddos" are frequently heard in the home stands at White Hart Lane, with some Spurs fans saying they have reclaimed the word.

The OED said it takes a historical approach, meaning it records the usage and development of words rather than prescribing how they are used.

"We reflect, rather than dictate, how language is used which means we include words which may be considered sensitive and derogatory. These are always labelled as such," it said, in a statement.

The OED said the reference to Tottenham reflected the evidence that the club was associated with the Jewish community and that the term was used as a "self-designation" by some fans.

It said the entry for "yiddo" was marked as "offensive and derogatory" and it would ensure the context was made clear in both definitions.
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Show me an example of yid or yiddo being used in a derogatory form this millennium. Post 1980-90s I think the term changed. Those old enough still remember of course. And that is a good thing. Would anyone want to sanitise history?
 
Aldo said:
Hardly, just because it’s in the dictionary doesn’t mean it’s inoffensive.
Plenty of racist, homophobic and generally offensive words in there already.
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But it legitimates the use in its intended setting. A lot of words are harmless in one setting, but offensive in another. So for supporting Tottenham Hotspur it's OK to use it, same with spotting someone in a spurs shirt and saying "Hi Yiddo! :)".
But calling a jew a fudging Yiddo would be offensive.
 
Spurs criticise OED over expanded definition of 'yid'

North London club says entry referring to its fans’ use of term ‘fails to distinguish context’

Tottenham Hotspur have criticised the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) after it expanded its definition of the word “yid” to include a “supporter of or player for” the football club.

... Spurs told the Guardian: “As a club we have never accommodated the use of the Y-word on any club channels or in club stores and have always been clear that our fans (both Jewish and gentile) have never used the term with any intent to cause offence. We find the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word misleading given it fails to distinguish context, and welcome their clarification.”
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I'm a bit confused. Is it just the OED comment to the press emphasising context or is it contained in the definitions? Or is the Guardian misrepresenting the Spurs response, which welcomes the clarification.
 
Spurs are saying they would welcome a clarification, surely. Anyway, there’s no arguing the toss with descriptivist lexicographers. They won’t listen to reason and they don’t care about etymology. Threats of violence sometimes work.
 
Kandi1977 said:
But it legitimates the use in its intended setting. A lot of words are harmless in one setting, but offensive in another. So for supporting Tottenham Hotspur it's OK to use it, same with spotting someone in a spurs shirt and saying "Hi Yiddo! :)".
But calling a jew a fudging Yiddo would be offensive.
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Simple as that really and its a pity that some can not see it that way.
 
So question.

As it appears we're ok in self referencing ourselves with the yid/yiddo term (I know not all of us are ) are we also alright with other fans from other teams referencing us as Yids/yiddos if Completely in a non offensive way eg 'we got the Yids saturday'??.......and NOT obviously eg yid c.unt, fudging Yids , dirty yiddos etc.
 
My boss came in this morning and said to me, I've been listening to BBC London and they're talking about Spurs and the 'Y' word, but they didn't say the actual word. What word is it?
So for anyone who was unaware, they are aligning it with the 'N' word, 'F' word, or 'C' word.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
So question.

As it appears we're ok in self referencing ourselves with the yid/yiddo term (I know not all of us are ) are we also alright with other fans from other teams referencing us as Yids/yiddos if Completely in a non offensive way eg 'we got the Yids saturday'??.......and NOT obviously eg yid c.unt, fudging Yids , dirty yiddos etc.
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That’s the killer question, and one of the best arguments for it not being okay.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
So question.

As it appears we're ok in self referencing ourselves with the yid/yiddo term (I know not all of us are ) are we also alright with other fans from other teams referencing us as Yids/yiddos if Completely in a non offensive way eg 'we got the Yids saturday'??.......and NOT obviously eg yid c.unt, fudging Yids , dirty yiddos etc.
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If it’s going to be referenced as the Y word then perhaps we treat it like the N word?
Anyone who uses the word knows the sentiment in which they mean it, not every occurrence is anti Semitic even from a non Jewish Spurs fan, I see our use of it as a defiance of all the other brick that has no footballing context whatsoever.
 
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