Spanish people have ‘offensive codeword’ for Brits
Apparently in Spain there's an 'offensive codeword' they have for British tourists, though for many visiting the popular tourist destination they won't know the language well enough to understand it.
Spain is one of Europe's top holiday destinations for several obvious reasons such as sun, sea, sand and sangria.
There are also many other reasons not beginning with 's', and every year millions of Brits head off to Spain on their holidays whether it's to see more of the country or to go to what Blackpool would basically be like if it was located on the Mediterranean.
However, places experiencing high amounts of tourism have started to develop a bit of a backlash to them, it turns out many people don't like loads of people showing up with boozy behaviour driving up all the local prices and then leaving again after making a mess.
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According to The Sun, it's resulted in the unflattering nickname 'guiri', which is pronounced ‘guee-ree’.
In order to be considered a 'guiri', you don’t actually have to be from the UK - you just need to be a tourist who acts in a way in which a lot of Brits tend to while letting their hair down in a sunny country.
For example, excessive drinking and participating in boozy behaviour are two ways to earn yourself the name, 'guiri', so if you act anything like some of the cast of Benidorm then you're basically there.
So, what exactly is it?
A 'guiri' is supposedly derived from a term describing the Basque word of 'giri', which means ‘blonde’ or ‘fair-skinned’ and so it was originally used based on how tourists looked, so perhaps it's a wider word more about tourists than just Brits in general.
Loutish behaviour isn't particularly welcome coming from anyone, so for those who drink to excess and engage in embarrassing behaviour such as shouting or singing loudly then you might get called a 'guiri'.
Spain has had some incidents where tourists have been protested against, as some parts of the country have suffered from 'bad tourism'.
The cost of living in tourist hotspots is high thanks to big demand from holidaymakers, but it's little fun for the people living in those very nice parts of the world who also have to pay high prices day in, day out.
Skyrocketing rents and house prices mean many can't afford to live in their own country's nicest places, and the behaviour of some of the people who show up for a short time is very disruptive.
So if you are on holiday in Spain then behave yourself and respect the area, or you might be a 'guiri'.
Additional words by Anish Vij.
Topics: Travel
Joe Harker