> The term "tinker" is a racial slur when used against Irish and Scottish Travellers and Romani people. Originally derived from the name of an itinerant profession, the word evolved into a derogatory ethnic insult with connotations of being dirty, dishonest, and criminal.
I googled "Tinker Slur" and Gemini said this:
> The term "tinker" is a racial slur when used against Irish and Scottish Travellers and Romani people. Originally derived from the name of an itinerant profession, the word evolved into a derogatory ethnic insult with connotations of being dirty, dishonest, and criminal.
Further sources:
https://hatebase.org/vocabulary/tinker
https://www.threads.com/@yourlocaltj/post/DCbY6wMIJ7J?hl=en
TIL
Shame that people do this. It's been a salient word all my life, and it's a useful word too.
I'll keep calling myself a tinkerer.