Mediterranean Irish

English Alternative forms en Mediterranean Irishman Etymology Originally in patronizing self-reference to British mistreatment of the Irish and their various prejudices about them, particularly with regard to their religion. Noun * en UK see usage notes The Ionian Islanders. en 2000 Thomas W. Gallant Honor, Masculinity, and Ritual Knife Fighting in Nineteenth-Century Greece, American Historical Review 105 2 377 Since the 1830s, pro-British Ionians . . . took their cue from the colonial officers, who denigrated the Ionians, comparing them to the aboriginal groups like the Hottentots or Irish. Indeed, the British frequently referred to the Ionians as the "Mediterranean Irish." en US see usage notes en Italian, an inhabitant of Italy or person of Italian descent. en 1959 Labor-management Reform Legislation: Hearings Before a Joint Subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, United States Congress 742 U.S. Government Printing Office His name is I. J. Saccamanno. He is a Mediterranean "Irish" and I love him like a brother. Adjective - en see usage notes Of or pertaining to such people. 2007, "Advertisement for 'Kiss Me...I'm Irish' T-shirt, zazzle.com, comment posted by Donamaria, 24 Feb. (retrieved 21 Jan 2008): My dear deceased mama used to say to me when I was young and cried b/c I was all Italian. . . "You're Mediterranean Irish and that's good enough" on St. Pat's day! en March 28 2007 Licari of Arabia https://archive.is/20121205161310/mesopotamianmarine.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html blogspot.com 20 Jan 2008 My name is Tony Licari. . . . An Irish guy once told me I was "Mediterranean Irish." I guess that is slang for those of us with vowels at the end of our surnames. Usage notes As indicated by the quotations, the term can be jocular and inoffensive in certain contexts, particularly in American English, while at other times it may be meant or received as a derogatory term or ethnic slur. en Greece Greek Italy Italian People en informal demonyms