wetback

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === enPR: wĕtbăk, IPA(key): /ˈwɛtbæk/ === Noun === wetback (plural wetbacks) (derogatory slang) A Mexican or Central American who illegally enters the United States of America from its southern border. Synonym: mojado 1920, Temporary admission of illiterate Mexican laborers: Hearings before the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, House of Representatives, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 141,[1] Mr. HUDSPETH. […] I stood here and did all in my power to keep the “wetback” […] from coming across. And I stand here to-day asking for that. The CHAIRMAN. […] What is a “wetback”? Mr. HUDSPETH. You have heard a “wetback” described; he is a fellow that crosses the river surreptitiously. (derogatory slang) A person of the mestizo race; a mojado. ==== Derived terms ==== whiteback ==== Translations ==== === See also === illegal alien illegal