wetback

Meaning

1. (derogatory, slang) A Mexican or Central American who illegally enters the United States of America from its southern border.
2. (derogatory, slang) A person of the mestizo race; a mojado.

Synonyms

greaser

taco

🌮

wet

Translations

espalda mojada

mojado

Pronounced as (IPA)

/wɛtbæk/

Etymology

First used in the 1920s from the presumed effects of swimming or wading across the Rio Grande. Used by the U.S. Government in 1954 with Operation Wetback.