... To ask if you agree that "pikey" is a racist term and not just "slang"?

[carabos]

I am following a thread on another forum where a poster has used the word "pikey" in the context of a discussion about burglary. I called the poster on it and pointed out that I believe the term to be deeply offensive.

Another poster has come on and said that the first poster has been "naughty" for using "slang" and to watch out for the politically correct brigade. I am . AIBU?

saltire tinker is not as offensive as pikey
tinker comes from when travellers were highly valued for their tin working skills and communities would have to wait until the "tinkers" or gypsies came to town to get their buckets and cans etc repaired or replaced.

tinker doesn't mean bad traveller, it just means traveller, so is only offensive in certain contexts, as opposed to pikey which means bad/thieving/skiving/scrounging traveller and so is an offensive word in any context

"Mrs Hoarder I agree with your last post; I have never heard 'pikey' used as a term for travellers, (who are referred to as 'travellers' around here.)
I would have said it meant lightfingered or similar"

yes it does, it means lightfingered traveller

so now you know!

Just looked on Wiki - it can mean 'people of low social class' according to Wiki.

nooka Sorry... my rebuttal of your post was idiotic on my part. Sleep deprived.

What a feel-good thread. The OP knows she will get a huge pat on the back from the mortally offended, the mortally offended get to be mortally offended and the clever people get to show how clever they are. I would say this is boring but it's not, it's hugely entertaining.