Paki n.
1. a derog. term for any British Asian or East African Asian immigrant.
![]() | Guardian 15 Apr. 8/4: Some big Paki over the water’s got her set up for right trouble . | |
![]() | 1985 (1980) 200: One Paki ran a few yards and spluttered shot at them. | |
![]() | Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 99: A group of black youths [...] were kicking the hell out of a turbanned Pakki. | |
![]() | ‘Rare Bengal Tiger’ in Our Lives (1982) 109: Boys of my age would come up to me and say ‘Paki go home’. | et al.|
![]() | Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 30: Kick out the Pakis, blackies, paddys and kikes. | |
![]() | Observer Rev. 26 Jul. 5 It used to be all Jewboys round here. Now, it’s all Pakis. | |
![]() | Urban Grimshaw 220: Underclass kids could be frighteningly racist, especially towards those they labelled ‘Pakis’. | |
![]() | Locked Ward (2013) 287: Fuck off, Paki. | |
![]() | Twitter 27 June [Internet] In utter shock: just been called p**i in my home town! Haven’t heard that word here since the 80s! |
2. as the Paki, the Paki’s, a corner shop, a small supermarket, latterly regardless of the race of the owner.
![]() | Lowspeak. | |
![]() | Glue 85: So we went roond tae the Paki’s n goat some beer n cheap wine. |
3. as self-appropriated by second-generation UK Pakistanis.
![]() | Londonstani (2007) 6: It ain’t necessary for u 2 b a Pakistani to call a Pakistani a Paki, Hardjit explains, — or for u 2 call any Paki a Paki for dat matter. But u gots 2 b call’d a Paki yourself. U gots 2 b, like, an honorary Paki or someshit. An dat’s da rule. Can’t be callin someone a Paki less u also call’d a Paki, innit. So if you hear Jas, Amit, Ravi or me callin anyone a Paki, dat don’t mean u can call him one also. We b honorary Pakis n u ain’t. |
4. used by Pakistani immigrants as an (affectionate) insult to suggest backwardness / lack of sophistication.
![]() | burntroti.com Aug. [Internet] Blind paki. The word means something different from when me and my cousins use it on each other. We mean it to mean, you’re so backwards, you’re fresh from the desh, you’re uncultured, a savage. You’re being a real paki about things. But when we say it, for some reason it’s harmless and funny. |
In compounds
a racist who beats up Asians.
![]() | Eve. Standard 19 Apr. n.p.: Pakistanis living in terror of the ‘paki-basher’ mobs of skinheads [DSUE]. | |
![]() | 1985 (1980) 200: Pakistanis probably victims of East End paki-bashers. | |
![]() | ‘Fite Dem Back’ [lyrics] Some of them say them a Paki-basher. | |
![]() | DSUE (8th edn) 850: [...] since ca. 1965. | |
![]() | Londonstani (2007) 28: Peeps like Kavi n Davinder [...] shud save up their aggro 4 Paki-bashers. |
racially motivated attacks on the UK Asian community, usu. by white youths.
![]() | Observer 5 Apr. 3/2: The name of the game is Pakky Bashing. [...] Any Asian careless enough to be walking the streets at night is a fool . | |
![]() | [title] Paki-bashing in a north east Lancashire cotton town. | |
![]() | Fifty Years Among the New Words (1993) 226: 1987 Winter. A recently newsworthy British form is Paki-bashing ‘beating up Pakistanis. | |
![]() | Yes We have No 257: In those same eighties [...] Paki-bashing became a sport of choice. | |
![]() | at skinhead.no 21 Aug. [Internet] There are undoubtedly some [skinheads] that go paki-bashing. |
a derog. term for smallpox.
![]() | DSUE (8th edn) 850: [...] since ca. 1960. |