'WOG an insult': Shashi Tharoor's dig at acronym of India-UK solar initiative

Our very own Mr Thesaurus has struck again.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday took a dig at the acronym of the India-UK-led solar energy initiative being 'OSOWOG'. Tharoor pointed out that 'wog' is a British term of insult for "the likes of us Wily Oriental Gentlemen".

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India on Tuesday launched 'One Sun, One World, One Grid' at the global climate conference COP26 in Glasgow with an aim to harness solar energy.

But Tharoor wasn't impressed with the acronym. "Can't believe the acronym for the new UK-India 'One Sun One World One Grid' is OSOWOG," Tharoor tweeted.

"WOG is a Brit term of insult for the likes of us Wily Oriental Gentlemen, and "Oh So Wog!" sounds like a nasty put-down. Can only have been dreamed up by someone at @PMOIndia with a tin ear," the former Union minister said.

According to the Merriam Webster, wog is used as an "insulting and contemptuous term for a dark-skinned foreigner and especially for one from the Middle East or Far East".