Sheep shagger

Sheep shagger, also spelt sheepshagger or sheep-shagger, is a racist 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.

External links

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