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Glite Dictionary
greaseball

greaseball

6 9.9
An insulting word for a person from Italy
  • noun
  • /ˈɡriːsˌbɔl/
  • Slur
: [Insulto despectivo para una persona de origen italiano]
  • Listen, greaseball, nobody asked you to sit here, so beat it.

Examples

  • She said her husband was a greaseball with bad breath.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Looks like a real greaseball to me.

    Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

  • What, you married that little greaseball?

    The Messenger (2009)

  • Please, Paul Ryan is a greaseball.

    Blog text (32)

  • Who you think you're talking to, greaseball?

    Green Book (2018)

  • Think I'm some greaseball who doesn't know stuff?

    Goal! (2005)

  • Now, these old greaseballs might not look it, but believe me, these are the guys who secretly controlled Las Vegas.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Hey, Mikey, look, don't let that greaseball give you any excuses, alright?

    Fortress (2012)

  • He's a greaseball.

    Please Give (2010)

  • Look at that greaseball trying to show off in his fancy car.

Surface Forms

greaseball singular
greaseballs plural

Morphology

greaseball = grease + ball (semi-transparent) = grease + ball

The components 'grease' + 'ball' are obvious, but the derogatory sense targeting a specific ethnic group is metaphorical and culturally specific, so learners cannot fully derive the ethnic slur from the parts alone.

Etymology

Greaseball comes from the simple words grease and ball and was used as a rude name to suggest someone was 'greasy' or 'dirty', and in the past it became an insulting slur aimed at Italian immigrants. That's why greaseball is an offensive word for a person of Italian descent.