Your Messenger message:

"prof. Tony, what's an atchay?"

My reply:

Riff-raff, hoi-poloi, social scum, the rowdy peanut gallery, human trash, parasites, blackhearts, skunks, undesirables, pedestrian Machiavellians, pigheaded megalomaniacs, brain-injured politicians, cultural ignoramuses, opportunists, vagabonds, mercenaries, parasites, dirt bags, douche bags, sleaze bags, sleaze balls, dicks, pricks, assholes, ass-lickers, brown-nosers, bootlickers, blockheads, shitheads, cunt heads, pinheads, motherfuckers, narrow-minded sons of bitches, jerks and jerk-offs, lazy bums, slobs, good-for-nothings, moochers, users and abusers, delinquents, imitators, hypocrites, fakes, social climbers, pretentious intellectuals, poseurs, charlatans, uppity folks, la-de-das, schemers, devious people pretending to be friends, voyeurs, mediocre wannabes, inadequates, bunglers, sabotagers, the not-cute trying too hard to be cute, stalkers, religious cranks, maniacs, crooks, anti-environmentalists, litterers, sorry losers, nonentities, copycats, pranksters, absconders, thieves, pickpockets, burglars, hackers, scammers, hoaxers, overpricers, tricks, cheaters, bullies, manipulators, con artists, vandals, rock-throwers, impersonators, plagiarists, credit-grabbers, slanderers, tall-tale tellers, backbiters, gloom and doom predictors, liars, scandal mongers, rumor mongers, mudslingers, sensationalists, malingerers, morons, corrupt people, judgmental people, road hogs, road ragers, tantrum throwers, double crossers, double agents, double spies, traitors, snakes in the grass, heels, spouse snatchers, candy takers, gluttons, greedy-guts, desperate flirts, hookers, selfish people, people with a chip on their shoulder, people with an axe to grind, gluttons, rude and disrespectful people, people with hurt pride, well-wishers and envious people, people who borrow money and never pay it back, people who never apologize, bad sports, malicious competitors, sorry losers, nitpickers, the ill-intentioned, the insincere, gripers, and people who act above their station.

And in Captain Haddock's words: "Sea-gherkins! Freshwater swabs! Ectoplasms! Nitwits! Nincompoops! Bashi-bazouks!"

There are atchays in every country. The world is full of them. Use your gift of discernment to identify them.

The Mandarin "shi mei" means a young female apprentice, assistant, or student. It is the origin of the Filipino word "chimay", meaning maid or female household help. It is not to be confused with the term "ah chai" (derogatory), meaning "my girl/boy toy". It is derogatory because the nickname "Ah Chai" is akin to the nicknames "Ah Kang" (Stupid Man) and "Ah Huwei" (Stupid Woman). In the Philippines, the Hokkien term "Juan Ah Kang", usually applied to laborers, means "Stupid Filipino". Hence the derogatory term "atchay".