What is "greaser"

Greaser \Greas"er\, n.

1. One who, or that which, greases; specifically, a person employed to lubricate the working parts of machinery, engines, carriages, etc.

2. A nickname sometimes applied in contempt to a Mexican or other Latin-American of the lowest type; -- derogatory and offensive. [Low, U. S.]

early 14c. (as a surname), "one who smears salve on a sheep," agent noun from grease (v.). As derogatory American English slang for "native Mexican or Latin American," first attested 1849, so called from appearance. Greaseball in same sense from 1934.

n. 1 Someone or something that greases (applies grease). 2 (context slang English) A mechanic. 3 (context slang English) A biker, a tough. 4 (context US offensive ethnic slur English) A Latin American, especially a Mexican. 5 (context US offensive ethnic slur English) An Italian.

n. offensive terms for a person of Mexican descent [syn: wetback, taco]

Greasers may refer to:

• Greaser (subculture), a subculture that developed in the United States in the 1950s
• Greaser (Transformers), a member of the Micromasters
• Rocker (subculture) a bike subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the 1950s
• A device to apply grease
• The Greasers, a fictional gang from S. E. Hinton's book The Outsiders
• The Greasers, a fictional clique from the video game Bully
• A sailor responsible for lubricating the bearings and moving parts of engines and mechanical equipment aboard a ship; see also Oiler (occupation)
• In aviation, a smooth or soft landing with no noticeable bounce after contact with the landing surface

Greasers are a working-class youth subculture that was popularized in the late 1940s and 1950s by middle and lower class teenagers in the United States. Rock and roll music, and rockabilly, were major parts of the culture, and styles were influenced by singers like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Johnny Burnette, Vince Taylor and Ritchie Valens, but the two main figures of the look were Marlon Brando and James Dean. In the 1950s and 1960s, these youths were also known as "hoods," as in "hoodlums." This may be because the style was more popular in poor neighborhoods that had higher crime rates than upper-class neighborhoods.

The name "greaser" came from their greased-back hairstyle, which involved combing back hair using creams, tonics or pomade. The term "greaser" reappeared in later decades as part of a revival of 1950s popular culture. One of the first manifestations of this revival was a 1971 American 7 Up television commercial that featured a 1950s greaser saying "Hey remember me? I'm the teen angel." The music act Sha Na Na also played a major role in the revivals.

Although the greaser subculture was largely an American youth phenomenon, there were similar subcultures in the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Japan, France, Sweden, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. In Sweden they are called raggare and in Japan they were known as Bosozoku. The 1950s and 1960s British equivalent was the rocker, also known as a ton-up boy. Unlike British rockers, who were exclusively bikers, American greasers were known more for their love of hot rods, muscle cars, and big Harley Davidson chopper or cruiser motorbikes rather than the lightweight Triumph or BSA Cafe racer motorcycles popular in Britain. Both subcultures are known for being fans of 1950s Doo Wop, Rock and roll, and rockabilly music.

During the 1950s, women also became a part of greaser culture. Like men, they joined motorcycle gangs and wore jackets displaying their group's or gang's name. The women who were involved in gangs typically did not fight side-by-side with male gangs, but they did fight rival female gangs in the 1950s. Women were often depicted as the property of male motorcycle gang members.

Greaser was a derogatory term for a Mexican in what is now the U.S. Southwest in the 19th century. The slur likely derived from what was considered one of the lowliest occupations typically held by Mexicans, the greasing of the axles of wagons; they also greased animal hides that were taken to California where Mexicans loaded them onto clipper ships (a greaser). It was in common usage among U.S. troops during the Mexican-American War.

The term was actually incorporated into an early California statute, the Greaser Act (1855), an expression of a virulent form of anti-Mexican sentiment among many Anglo Californians.

Greaser persisted in use through the silent movie era, as evidenced by movies such as Ah Sing and the Greasers (1910), The Greaser's Gauntlet (1908),Tony, the Greaser (1911), The Greaser and the Weakling (1912), The Girl and the Greaser (1913), The Greaser’s Revenge (1914), and Bronco Billy and the Greaser (1914). Subsequently, however, Hollywood began to cut its usage of this particular derogatory term to improve its distribution in Mexican and Latin American markets.

The eugenicist Madison Grant made mention of the term with respect to Mexicans of mixed ancestry in his 1916 work of scientific racism The Passing of the Great Race.