A kind-hearted reader wondered whether Chinaman might not be a derogatory term. I used it the other week.
If you believe the Encarta dictionary, it is not just derogatory – it is offensive. But then, the (mainly Zulu) Encarta (as I like to think of it, in memory of the BBC World Service’s invariable phrase each time it mentions the homophonic South African party Inkatha) opines that Montezuma’s revenge is offensive, to the shade of Montezuma for all I know.
Disagree with half of it, enjoy reading all of it
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