pea-souper

American  

[pee-soo-per] / ˈpiˈsu pər /

noun

1. Chiefly British Informal. pea soup.

2. Canadian Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a French Canadian.

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Etymology

Origin of pea-souper

First recorded in 1885–90; pea soup + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The worst in recent memory was London's "pea-souper" of December 1952, which contributed to the deaths of an estimated 4,000 people.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2018

But China offers a vision of environmental degradation far in excess of the pea-souper fogs of 1950s London or Manchester.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2017

Much of that comes with a disclaimer: there’s a real pea-souper in Zenica.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2015

But it was not until the 1830s, when the city’s population exceeded 2m, that London fog became the famous sulphurous pea-souper.

From Economist • Nov. 5, 2015

They know not the "pea-souper" on the other side of the Straits of Dover, and the light, invigorating atmosphere is markedly apparent directly one enters France or Belgium.

From The Sign of Silence by Le Queux, William