I've never used the term "****", nor did I know it was a derogatory term. So I'm glad this came up - I won't make that mistake in the future, should I ever have the need to refer to a Pakistani person.

I suppose it has much the same negative connotation as the term "Jap" when referring to a Japanese person. It's certainly not the worst you could call someone, but it's not exactly a respectful term. It wasn't originally meant that way, but its historic context has unfortunately made it derogatory. People can't help where they were born, so if they are going to be disrespected, it should be because of what they've done as individuals, not because of where they're from!

But speaking of shortened nationality monikers, do British people take offense at being called Brits? Do Finnish people take offense at being called Finns? And the big question, do Scottish people take offense at being called Scots?

Oh, and how do you shorten the term for someone from Iceland? Do you call them Icies?