Guiri

Graffito in Palma, Mallorca. "Eat the Guiri"

Guiri (pronounced [ˈɡiɾi]) is a colloquial Spanish name used in Spain applied to foreign tourists, particularly from countries in northern Europe or the Anglosphere. They are strongly associated with beach tourism and commonly stereotyped as blonde with pale skin and often drunk.^[1][2] Besides Spain, it is also used in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar to refer to non-Gibraltarian Britons who visit or reside on the territory.

Sources

According to the Real Academia Dictionary, this word can be traced back to 19th century Carlist Wars in the form "guiristino", the pronunciation of Basque-speaking Carlist forces of the name of their enemies, the Cristinos (after regent Queen Maria Cristina). It entered the Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española in 1925. When a "guiri" would be the term used by the opposing political parties of the time, later to be exclusively used for the Guardia Civil and Policía Armada (Armed Police) under the Francoist régime.^[3]

There is another theory by Juan Goytisolo that guiri is a neologism from Caló language which derives from Moroccan and Algerian Arabic gaouri (a word with a similar meaning applying to Europeans), which in turn stems from Ottoman Turkish gâvur.^[4]

The Diccionario de la Real Academia Española defines "guiri" as a colloquial term for a foreign tourist. As the picture shows, it can be used as a derogatory slur, but it is often merely descriptive or even friendly.

References

• guiri at the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española.