Yid Army: Fans cheer at a recent match between Tottenham Hotspurs and Aston Villa in England. Image by Getty Images

(JTA) — “Yiddo,” a variation of the derogatory term “yid,” is a new entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, which also has added a definition of the latter to describe supporters and players of a British soccer team.

The Tottenham Hotspurs, known as the Spurs, has many Jewish supporters who sometimes call themselves the “yid army.” However, the term is used derogatorily by opposing fans.

The dictionary describes itself as “the definitive record of the English language.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The definition notes that yid is offensive when used by non-Jewish people to refer to Jews, and is “frequently derogatory and offensive” when referring to Spurs fans or players. The entry for yiddo is defined as “offensive and derogatory,” and notes that the team has been associated with the Jewish community.

A Spurs spokesman told the BBC that “our fans (both Jewish and gentile) have never used the term with any intent to cause offense,” and said the OED “failed to distinguish the contexts in which the term is and is not offensive.”

In 2013, the Football Association warned fans that using the word could result in criminal charges. The British police did not enforce the threat.

The OED in a statement said that it does not police how a word is used.

“We reflect, rather than dictate, how language is used, which means we include words which may be considered sensitive and derogatory. These are always labelled as such,” the statement said, according to the BBC.

Other new words added in the January update include shticky (defined as “Employing or characterized by shticks or gimmicks, especially to an excessive degree; gimmicky, contrived) and awesomesauce (defined as “Extremely good; excellent”).

The post Oxford English Dictionary adds ‘yiddo’ and definition of ‘yid’ as fan of British soccer team the Hotspurs appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount