There's an offensive codeword Spanish people use for Brit tourists who exhibit these certain behaviours

If you're jetting off to Spain this summer, you might want to brush up on some of the local lingo.

You might think you can get by during your break in the sun with a little 'hola' here and a 'gracias' there, but it turns out there's a whole other world of slang to get your head around too.

Just as some Europeans might not understand a few of our kooky colloquialisms, the majority of Brits don't have a clue about some of the vocabulary used in Spain.

But it's the codewords which we need to swot up on first and foremost, though, as there's a couple you might hear while you are on your holiday that aren't exactly a compliment.

And apparently, there is one which is used pretty much exclusively to describe boisterous British tourists who are not on their best behaviour - although the exact meaning still remains up for debate.

It has been claimed that Spanish people use the word 'guiri' - which is pronounced ‘guee-ree’ - when they spot a tourist that they think fits this certain stereotype.

Spaniards have an interesting term to describe certain tourists (Zowy Voeten/Getty Images)

In practice, it can actually be used on anyone who sports certain characteristics which are often associated with 'Brits abroad' who take the boozing too far, even though it's still UK travellers who are mostly on the receiving end of it.

In order to be considered a 'guiri', you might partake in some excessive partying, sunbathe until you 'look like a lobster', wear 'sandals with socks' and visit the 'least authentic restaurant in town', according to a Reddit thread.

"Guiris are normally from France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands," one social media user explained. "Each of them have their own distinctive quirks and habits."

Keep an ear out for the word 'guiri' if you're heading to Spain this year (Getty Stock Photo)

Another person suggested: "We use it with clueless or cheesy tourists even if they are from another race. We even use it on ourselves when we travel to tourist-packed/tourist-focused places."

And a third said of the term: "Lots of people also use it to refer to Northern European foreigners (not necessarily tourists)."

But each insisted that it the term 'guiri' is used in tongue-in-cheek way, rather than with the aim of causing offence.

It's been suggested that the word is derived from the Basque word of 'giri', which means ‘blonde’ or ‘fair-skinned’ - and so it was originally used to describe how tourists looked.

Now, the meaning has evolved to instead encompass the actions and characteristics of some badly behaved visitors.

Apparently though, it should be considered more of a nickname rather than an insult, because like one Reddit user pointed out, the Dictionary of the Spanish language defines the word 'guiri' as a 'foreign tourist'.

But at least if you hear the word 'guiri' on your holiday, you'll at least know what the people yelling it are alluding to.