different between spack vs spaz

English

Etymology

Possibly a contraction of spastic (as a term of abuse).

Pronunciation

Noun

spack (plural spacks)

1. (Britain slang, derogatory) A clumsy, foolish, or mentally deficient person.

   Synonyms: spacko, spaz

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:spack.

Derived terms

• spack attack

Related terms

• spacko
• spacka
• spacker
• spaz
• spastic

Anagrams

• packs

German

Etymology

From Middle Low German spak (“thin, dry, brittle”) from spake (“brushwood”). Or from rare Middle Low German spak (“tame, calm”) from an unknown source.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?pak/, [?pak?]
• Rhymes: -ak

Adjective

spack (comparative spacker, superlative am spacksten)

1. (regional, Northern Germany, usually of people) thin, scrawny (having an unusually low amount of both muscle and fat)
2. (regional, Northern Germany, of wood) dry, brittle

Declension

Related terms

• Spacken

Further reading

• “spack” in Duden online

English

Alternative forms

• spazz

Etymology

From spastic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spæz/

Noun

spaz (plural spazzes)

1. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A stupid or incompetent person.
   • 1981, Stephen King, The Jaunt

     In fact, it was the view of the scientists now in charge […] that the freakier they were, the better; if a mental spaz could go through and come out all right […] then the process was probably safe for the executives, politicians, and fashion models of the world.

   • 2006, Tiger Woods:

     “I was so in control from tee to green, the best I’ve played for years… But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz.”

2. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A hyperactive person.
3. (slang, derogatory, offensive) A tantrum, a fit.

Usage notes

The offensiveness of this term and of spastic differs somewhat between the US and the UK. In the UK, they are very offensive. The term is more commonly used in the U.S. but is still offensive to many in the disability community. See spastic for more.

Related terms

• spack
• spastic

Translations

See also

• retard
• tard

Verb

spaz (third-person singular simple present spazzes, present participle spazzing, simple past and past participle spazzed)

1. (slang, derogatory, offensive) To have a tantrum or fit.
2. (slang) To malfunction, go on the fritz.

Usage notes

The sense “to malfunction” is the only sense that is not insulting to the object, and is cognate to spasm (compare seize up), but still may cause offense due to connections with spastic.

Synonyms

• (have a tantrum): freak out

Translations

References

Anagrams

• zaps