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square head
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:square-head, squarehead
1n. — Ethnicities, derogatory, extremely offensive, historical
someone of German descent; till around 1900 also of Northern European descent.
Type: 6. Memorial — The term has been used to refer to a number of nationalities (see the second fist note), yet seems to have settled early on the Germans (see the 1915 quotation in the context of World War I). World War II (see the 1944 and 2013 quotations), then cemented the use on that nationality.
See: kraut
The term is included for reasons of historical accuracy and completeness. It is not intended, as clearly indicated in the usage labels "derogatory" and "extremely offensive", as a term for current use or a term, meaning or usage that is in any way condoned.
The term has been used in a number of contexts for a number of people. In 1904, The New York Times wrote “In the parlance of English and American sailors [...] all Northern Europeans are squareheads, whether they be Swedes, Dutchmen, Germans…”. Some years earlier, in 1898, The Times (London, UK) said the term was used by the French to insult German Alsatians. The earliest Canadian attestation, from Alberta, refers to Swedes (see the 1912 quotation).
Quotations
1912
[It is a curious fact that most of the structural steel workers engaged on various huge structures in Canadian cities are of Irish blood. In fact, the Irish and Swedes, or "square heads," as they are called, have almost a monopoly of this dangerous trade.]
1913
The French press, on the whole, takes a calm view of the Cologne Gazette's article calling France a disturber of European peace and declaring its belief that war between the two countries is inevitable. Emile Mariard, writing in La Patrie, says: "We have known for a long time the German squareheads are mischievous, but because they wear a pointed helmet they cannot frighten us."
1915
I hear regularly from some chums in my regiment (the 13th Battalion), and they are now in the trenches in front of Messines and from what I hear they are itching to take it from the square-heads. It will be a tough job but if anybody can take it the Canucks can.
1924
I got a special 20 days leave, twenty pounds and a D.C.M. for keeping my machine gun on that bunch of squareheads. They said I killed ten - poor devils.
1944
It was heartening to see so many of the square-heads shoved in behind the wire. It reminded us when they were massed tight there in the field, of those news reel pictures of 1937-1938 of Berlin when Hitler would be screaming from a platform at thousands and thousands of Germans (very rough and rabid Germans then) packed for display of power into some great square in Berlin.
1985
Had he run into difficulties in Canada?
"Nothing to speak of. Mostly just joking: you get called once in a while 'squarehead,' or something like that."
Squarehead?
"Apparently the Dutch were the original 'squareheads,' and now it's gone over to the Germans. Or 'kraut,' though 'kraut' is more American. No, I had more problems being a German over in Switzerland than anywhere else."
1992
The community was called Berlin for over 80 years after Mennonite pioneers Joseph Schneider and Bishop Benjamin Eby proposed the name in 1828 as a goodwill gesture towards the many German settlers arriving here from Europe.
But the tensions of the First World War later tore the community apart in a bitter and sometimes violent clash over changing the name. In the end, the city was renamed after the late British military figure Lord Kitchener.
Deutschmann said the committee will not look only at restoring the name Berlin, but study a wide range of options to find some way of righting an historic wrong. [...] Another option would be to invite historians to discuss the events of 1916 at a public forum to show the injustice is not "just in the imagination of a few squareheads."
2004
Accordingly, when hordes of German tanks stormed across the Polish border, the Pomorska Cavalry Brigade, on September 3, galloped right in amongst them with lances and sabers drawn, anxious to cut up those impertinent square-heads on bicycles.
2n. — Ethnicities, derogatory, offensive [< loan translation of Canadian French 'tête carrée']
(when used by Francophone Canadians) an English Canadian.
Type: 6. Memorial — A loan translation from French, the term has been used especially in print sources since 1976, when the sovereignist/separatist Parti Québécois came to power in the province, taking a counter-stance to Anglophone hegemony in Quebec.
The term is included for reasons of historical accuracy and completeness. It is not intended, as clearly indicated in the usage labels "derogatory" and "extremely offensive", as a term for current use or a term, meaning or usage that is in any way condoned.
Quotations
1977
English Canadians are popularly known as squareheads among some French Canadians. Nick reports that the custom lends itself to such jokes as: "What do you give an anglophone for a headache? Four aspirins, one for each corner."
1988
Someone had cut out the column, drawn a square around the photo of my head and inscribed the caption "Tete carree" (a Quebec slang term for anglos is square-head).
1990
The same leader would demand an apology from the supposedly professional adults who run a radio station that broadcasts racist slogans such as "square-head," the moral equivalent of calling a French-speaking person a "frog" [...]
2002
Like the students from Lennoxville Elementary School (see story page 6), my family went to the newly renovated Nature and Science wing of the Musée du séminaire de Sherbrooke. [...] But what impressed this square-head was that all information (on the exhibits, at least) was in both languages. Granted, the English was a bit smaller than the French (but unless you're legally blind, who cares?)
2006
I was with a Francophone friend. "Are you insane," he hissed at me.
"What?" I said loudly. "I'm drunk as the devil. Isn't everybody?"
"You're the only one here who's drunk, Squarehead!" somebody said behind me.