Mickey

1 9.9

An insulting word for a person from Ireland

noun

Slur

: [insulto ofensivo para una persona de origen irlandés]

I can't believe he called me a Mickey just because I'm Irish.

Examples

She was offended when he used Mickey as an insult during the argument.
Using the term Mickey in a derogatory way is unacceptable.
Hey, mickey, is that you?

Some Kind of Hero (1982)
Hey, mickey, is that you?

Some Kind of Hero (1982)
So I said, hey, Mickey, I'm embarrassed.
- Yeah, mickey.

Used Cars (1980)
Hey, mickey.

Some Kind of Hero (1982)

Synonyms

Irish person

vsMickey

1 1.0

A person from Ireland

is an insulting slang term rather than a neutral description

Compounds

Mickey Finn

NSFW

1 9.9

A drink secretly given to make someone unconscious

Mickey Mouse operation

1 8.2

A business or group that is small and badly run

Mickey Mouse Protection Act

Offensive

1 7.7

A nickname for a law that extends copyright to help large media companies like Disney

Mickey Mouse ring

1 3.0

A ring with a picture of the cartoon mouse Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse affair

Informal

7.8

An unimportant event that people do not take seriously

Mickey Mouse job

8.0

A small unimportant task done badly, like filing papers

How Offensive

Mickey

Slur

1 9.9

insult

Offensive

286 1.3

Surface Forms

Mickey singular

Mickeys plural

Morphology

Mickey = Mick (transparent) = Mick + ey

Formed as the diminutive 'Mick' + '-ey'; the offensive meaning is directly tied to the base 'Mick', so the relation is clear.

Etymology

The word Mickey comes from the common name Michael, often shortened to Mick, and English speakers began using Mickey as a general name for Irish people, which turned into an 'insult'. That's why calling someone a Mickey is offensive and should be avoided.