n. — derogatory, extremely offensive, Ethnicities
an ethnic slur referring to Aboriginal people.
Type: 6. Memorial — In Canada, chug is a slur aimed at Aboriginal people. The term likely derives from the colloquial verb to chug. OED-3 (s.v. "chug") defines to chug as 'to consume (a drink) in large gulps without pausing'. Chug derives from the colonial stereotype of the "drunken Indian". There is some evidence of the younger Aboriginal generation trying to reclaim the word and strip it of its racist connotations (see the 2011 quotation). Unfortunately, as the 2007 and 2014 quotations demonstrate, the term used as a racist epithet is still in circulation.
- The term is included for reasons of historical accuracy and completeness. It is not intended, as clearly indicated in the usage labels "derogatory" and "extremely offensive", as a term for current use or a term, meaning or usage that is in any way condoned.
- The term is (much) older than our earliest attestation listed. Its late attestation points to the oral nature of the slur, but also testifies to the long invisibility of aboriginal people in Canadian writing, even when referred to negatively.