greaseball en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin crassus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Vulgar Latin *crassia Anglo-Norman grecebor. Middle English grece English grease English -ball English greaseball From grease + -ball.; possibly derived from the fact that Italians and Italian-Americans are stereotyped as having greasy or greased-up hair.
Meanings
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(US, derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur) A person of Italian descent.
(Italian)
-
(US, derogatory, ethnic, slang, slur) Any person of Mediterranean (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek) or Hispanic (Latin American) descent.
Do you think I wanted to walk across that stage and get my diploma and look down and see that fat greaseball sitting there? […] I got into a fraternity, too. It wasn’t one of the good ones, not with a name like Pinzetti, but a fraternity all the same.
1982, Stephen King, Survivor Type:
- (slang) A mechanic.
- (slang) A biker, a tough.
- (slang) A rocker or metalhead, especially one who listens to 1950s rock and roll or 1980s thrash metal.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| greaseballs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |