I'm watching the Departed movie, and they've used the slang word "guinea". What does that word mean?

Question:This is a serious question. I don't know what or whom it refers to ...



Answers:
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a person of Italian birth or descent.

The word "guinea" (also "guinny" or "ghinny") is a derogatory slang word for Italians or those of Italian descent.

The exact origin is not clear, but it may refer to the willingness of Italians to work for one pound and one shilling, an amount of money referred to by the British as one guinea (the gold used to make the coin coming from West Africa, an area known as Guinea). When other workers demanded more pay, the Italians continued to work for their original pay, hence the use of the word in a derogatory fashion.

Another possible explanation is that "guinea" once referred to the dark complexion of African slaves, and it eventually was used to refer to other dark-skinned people, such as the Italians.
It's a racist slur against Italians, and it's offensive!
Italian put-down.
A derogatory word for someone of Italian decent.
"Guinea is a highly offensive ethnic slur for someone of Italian descent in the United States.

It derives from "Guinea Negro", which came from the popular belief that Italians were part African because of their often darker skin, and from the fact that the Moors once dominated parts of Italy.

As a word, it is considered as offensive to Italian Americans as N*** is to African Americans. It is used in conjunction with other derogatory terms such as Dago, Wop, Greaseball, and Goombah."

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