WASP n.
1. White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, the predominant racial group in the USA; also as adj.
![]() | N.Y. Amsterdam News 17 Apr. 1: In America, we find the WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) ganging up to take their frustrations out on whatever minority group happens to be handy – whether Negro, Catholic, Jewish, Japanese, or what not. | |
![]() | Rationale of the Dirty Joke (1972) I 107: The two other American types matching the wasp: the GCC and NJB — Good Clean Catholic and Nice Jewish Boy. | |
![]() | Carlito’s Way 93: She was a real American type — anglowasp bit. | |
![]() | Bonfire of the Vanities 6: The Italians will [...] love it. And the Irish. Even the Wasps. | |
![]() | Swing, Swing, Swing 206: Ziggy Elman’s old-country fraylich trumpet shared the spotlight with the echt WASP singer. | |
![]() | Ghost World 12: You’re a skinny, blond Wasp ... that’s what every guy wants! | |
![]() | Guardian G2 20 Mar. 7: Captain America? Too Wasp: he should be black. |
2. attrib. use of sense 1.
![]() | Chicago Daily Trib. 5 May 1: They are what sociologists call a ‘wasp’ group--a group bearing all the earmarks of a majority, i. e. white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, but generally treated as a minority group because of their background and culture patterns. | |
![]() | Serial 63: She thought she’d sign up for night classes in Spanish [...] because she was tired of being ‘a WASP imperialist.’. | |
![]() | Empty Wigs (t/s) 151: [S]crumptious totty. E.g. Cressida Neville and her WASP chum Betsy. |
In derivatives
WASP-like.
![]() | Why Are We in Vietnam? (1970) 21: I’m a true-blue Wasp-ass Texas. |
WASP-like.
![]() | Joint (1972) 118: I didn’t mean to come on waspish at you. | letter 4 Aug. in|
![]() | Guardian 30 May 20: The old waspish Wasp himself. | |
![]() | Dead Man’s Trousers [23]: The cunt’s agent had told his name was ‘too Latin’ and would go against him for Waspish lead-man roles. |
a fig. town epitomising white conservative values.
![]() | Blue Movie (1974) 139: Louise Larkin, a well-known character actress [...] whose forte was the ‘ideal American mom,’ Waspville apple-pie style. |
WASP-like.
![]() | Secrets of Harry Bright (1986) 65: He couldn’t very well mace the waspy bitch or the captain. | |
![]() | Ghost World 76: Nah, your bagels are too waspy. | |
![]() | Guardian Rev. 14 Jan. 2: I was always playing the WASPy asshole gay. |