Origin of the term "Gingo"

john_stark says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:00:

Gingo? You're killing me, dude. Please tell me you're intentionally screwing around here.

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morphus says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:11:

"The most likely source of 'gringo' is the Spanish word 'gringo' itself, which means 'foreigner' or 'unintelligible gibberish.' The root of 'gringo,' in turn, is thought to have been 'griego,' Spanish for 'Greek,' often applied as slang to any foreigner."

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CatGirl says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:17:

JoeTx: The Dingo got yer baby?

We could always have a contest...who comes up with the best story wins! jaja

Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent

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webmanco says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:22:

Gingo Bilova

http://www.saludparati.com/ginkgo.htm

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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morphus says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:24:

Or ginkgo. Its suppose to be good for the brain

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gabolicious says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:37:

OK Joetexan "When the U.S. invaded Mexico..." then why do you think colombians call "gingos" to americans?..... cause mexicans call them "gRingos" and not "gingos"...

=)

Elección no canonización....

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morphus says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:44:

I would rather be called a gringo than a wetback..LOL

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JoeG says on Jan 16, 2008, 06:48:

sorry, i'll be nice :(

http://www.word-detective.com/020798.html
"
The most likely source of "gringo" is the Spanish word "gringo" itself, which means "foreigner" or "unintelligible gibberish." The root of "gringo," in turn, is thought to have been "griego," Spanish for "Greek," often applied as slang to any foreigner. But why, I hear you ask, Greeks? Because the Greek language has long been a convenient metaphor for anything foreign and unintelligible. Even the Romans had a Latin phrase for the feeling of being stymied by the unfamiliar: "Graecum est; non potest legi." Translation? "It is Greek -- it cannot be read," or as we say today, "It's Greek to me."
"

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Desi1 (Moderator) says on Jan 16, 2008, 07:06:

Be nice says the monkey . You guys are not funny.
I can't edit an original post, otherwise I would just correct your typo. You can edit it yorself, I think, otherwise if you wish I'll just delete it and you can re-post.

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Andy S says on Jan 16, 2008, 07:35:

GIB......I am actually interested....I heard that one about the song too, from an old guy I met in the uk that had travelled all over latin america in the 70s....

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kalder says on Jan 16, 2008, 07:48:

The word 'gringo' derives from the archaic Galician verb 'gringar' (to expand, dilate, extend). It's a slang reference to the fact that North Americans tend to have larger penises than Latinos. So, whatever the intention of the user, the etymology of 'gringo' suggests it's rather a compliment.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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gabolicious says on Jan 16, 2008, 07:50:

wow Kalder that is something that I did not know.. thanks for the info...

Elección no canonización....

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kalder says on Jan 16, 2008, 07:51:

You're welcome.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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britabroad says on Jan 16, 2008, 09:56:

I´ve just choked on my lunch!!! The Colombian cousins are going to get THAT fired at them next time!

Leave the big stick at home...carry a cannon!

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zed2283 says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:03:

The Mexicans I know said that it comes from the green uniforms worn by American soldiers when they invaded Mexico... "green go home!"

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gatogris says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:07:

The Galicians, being Celtic in origin, and thus one short step removed from the Irish, are a naturally very humble people, and also used 'gringar' as a way to obsequiously venerate the superior endowment and brain capacity of the Anglo-Saxon. They would tug their forelock, bow and scrape and say "Si, mi gringo," when commanded to undertake one of the menial tasks which they excelled at, not dissimilar to an Afro-American man servant in the gallant days of the antebellum South saying "yassir boss, rightaway."

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morphus says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:07:

No me llames frijolero,
Pinche gringo puñetero.
Chingado!!

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gabolicious says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:09:

there are several versions zed2283 but I honestly do not think that mexicans knew (at least at that time) the meaning of "green go home", even now there are several mexicans who do not speak english...

=)

Elección no canonización....

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Robert Jorge says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:33:

Exactly what I was thinking Gabo. Another thing, when the US and Mexico were rumbling, I am pretty sure US soldier uniforms were blue. And especially in Texas, normal people fought the Mexicans too. They would be dressed like average people of that day.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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Robert Jorge says on Jan 16, 2008, 10:39:

These are just a couple of examples of US uniforms during the Mexican American War. The other 2 dozen or so pieces I could find did not have a stitch of green thread in them either. I don't think the US military went green until after WW1.

BEWARE of gold diggers.

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joetexan says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:13:

I don't believe you guys. Not one person believed that "gingo" originated from an Irish song with the words "green grows." Maybe the professor was wrong. One the other hand, someone with the rank of Professor at the University of Texas does not put his credibility on the line in a publication with fanciful speculation. They do research, and linguists do research on the origin of words. Of course, I could except the opinion of you yahoos, but I'm a Longhorn and I believed the Prof. In case you haven't heard of the University of Texas, it is a world class university with seven Nobel laureates on the faculty. The origin of the word "gringo" is of great interest to most Texans because our roots are in Latin America. If the professor was wrong or disputed, there would have been a flood of letters to the editor.

I really did think that would interest some people. I guess curiosity and pleasure in learning something does not appeal to the intellectual troglodites that inhabit this part of cyper space.

How about a nice discussion of the virtues of cilantro?

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joetexan says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:27:

Desi1,

Thank you. I have read other of your posts and know you are not one of the intellectual troglodites that dominate this forum. Who would think they could get such much mileage from an obvious typo. Sort of like elementary school kids who get a thrill from teasing. But they are kinda interesting, in a cultural antropology sort of way. In the past, I participated for years on forum boards of the New York Times, Financial Times of London, and Jerusalem Post, and the even the French had more brains than these yokels.


morphus,

I had no intention to offend you. I enjoy your posts. I also appreciated that you were not defensive about Catholic culture. It is more fun to be a member of a Satanic cult!

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:29:

Damn! (insert head slap here).Why didn't I think of this before?

Someone needs to ask Marina HotForWords about the origin of GRINGO.

http://www.hotforwords.com

http://www.youtube.com/hotforwords

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joetexan says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:41:

Tinto,

I usually don't clique on websites cited on a forum board because that once crashed my hard disk with a badass virus, but I trust you are one of the good people and thanks for the connection. When I have more time, I will see what she says about "gringo."

Maybe you can help me. One thing that discourages me from participating on this forum is that there is no button to click that pulls up my posts, so I can respond to comments. I can get the threads I started, but not posts of mine on other threads. That greatly limits any discussion because I have to go back one page at a time and look for "new," and that gives me every thread I have looked at. Can that feature be added? Other forum sites have it.

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Tinto (Moderator) says on Jan 16, 2008, 18:46:

I am not sure if this is what you're looking for

http://poorbuthappy.com/joetexan/comments/ = all of your comments (aka posts) regardless of whose thread they are in.

http://poorbuthappy.com/joetexan/posts/ = all of your original posts (aka thread starters)

http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/mine/ = all of your original posts (aka thread starters) displayed in a slightly different format which includes number of responses, last poster, etc

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john_stark says on Jan 16, 2008, 19:44:

Is he a Longhorn? I guess that explains everything. Sure, call us yokels but at least we can spell.

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joetexan says on Jan 16, 2008, 21:24:

John,

Maybe you can spell, but you are definately an intellectual troglodite. A real moron. I'm sure that it is a great pleasure for you that you inherited money. Enjoy it. That does not gain my respect. Your attempted nazi domination of this forum might have worked for you in the past, but your insults mean nothing to me. It is easy to discourage Colombians from engaging in verbal battle because they are so damn polite that they hate to engage anyone who is obnoxious, but I'm a Texan. I am confident that I can convince Colombians to do battle with your arrogant anti-Colombian bigotry. The those damn arrogant Brits. The American people have great respect for the British, but we are very well aquainted with your insufferable arrogance. Fella, the British Empire died after the second world war. Tony Blair was right when he said that Britain was in danger of becoming a theme park tourist attraction.

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CatGirl says on Jan 16, 2008, 21:37:

Joetex: Mmm respectfully speaking, you are an interesting individual. Your verbiage intrigues me ... jaja

Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent

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john_stark says on Jan 16, 2008, 21:40:

You're about as Texan as Don Ho. The rest of your post, as usual, was unintelligible.

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manINred says on Jan 16, 2008, 21:44:

"The those damn arrogant Brits. The American people have great respect for the British, but we are very well aquainted with your insufferable arrogance. Fella, the British Empire died after the second world war. Tony Blair was right when he said that Britain was in danger of becoming a theme park tourist attraction."

When did he say that? I must have missed it. Those arrogant brits? That's rich, right from the horse's mouth. que vayas pa la uta mierda

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slguy says on Jan 16, 2008, 22:21:

Finally something us gringos can jump on the spelling nazi bandwagon about! way to go, tex!

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

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joetexan says on Jan 16, 2008, 22:39:

Well, I'm just trying to tame John Stark. I'm sure he is a good guy, but he needs an education. The Euros are not God's gift to the world. They are hedonistic, self-absorbed, narcissitic people who believe they are the most sophisticated people on earth. The truth is, Cowboy cuture is the most advance culture of the planet earth. Colombian Llaneros are God's gift to human culture. The most spectacular creation of human culture anywhere on earth. The Paisas are a close second, and Gringos are a distant runner-up.

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slguy says on Jan 16, 2008, 22:41:

I assure you tex- better men than you have tried to tame him. jajajajajajajjaa

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

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CatGirl says on Jan 16, 2008, 22:44:

Tex: Some are just not meant to be broke

Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent

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kalder says on Jan 17, 2008, 02:24:

John used to write under the handle 'Elreydelostrolls'.

But with such gems as: "Cowboy cuture is the most advance culture of the planet earth" the crown seems to be passing to the young pretender.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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Desi1 (Moderator) says on Jan 17, 2008, 03:38:

Oh and "John"'s original handle on this forum was "Utopia Cowboy".....so the passing of the crown is especially well.suited...

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john_stark says on Jan 17, 2008, 05:53:

When did I become European? It must have been while I was sleeping.

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kalder says on Jan 17, 2008, 06:04:

You were French. Then British.

I think.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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john_stark says on Jan 17, 2008, 06:05:

Damm, I've been getting around!

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kalder says on Jan 17, 2008, 06:09:

You've probably been German at one point too. If Joe's hurling the word 'Nazi' around is anything to go by.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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gatogris says on Jan 17, 2008, 07:32:

He's right about cowboy culture though. Heck, anything that include iconic elements such as the hanging tree, stetsons and spurs, saddles, lassos and Colt .45's, bandannas and buckskins, canteens, stagecoaches, gamblers, long-horned cattle and cattle drives, prostitutes (or madams) with a heart of gold, and filthy, primative redskins has to be considered the apex of Western civilization.

Furthermore, anyone who reads this website regularly knows that women are not to be trusted. Instead, stick with a nice warm horse out there on the trail - the 'faithful steed' (for example, Roy Rogers' Trigger, Gene Autry's Champion, William Boyd's (Hopalong Cassidy) Topper, the Lone Ranger's Silver and Tonto's Scout). In cowboy culture, a man's passion for his horse need not be restricted by silly social norms against bestiality - they didn't call it the 'Wild' West for nothing.

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Saltador says on Jan 17, 2008, 07:42:

I heard the word gringo started because of the numbers of colmbianas that would go out with us old fat bald guys from the USA because of our money. The colombianos would say that when the chicas "see the green ,they go." This was then shortened to "gringo". :-)

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Chelesupercono says on Jan 17, 2008, 08:46:

Cowboy culture....?......oh ya! Yes, I saw the movie...er....Brokeback Mountain or something like that....wow...hey JOETEXAN were you in that movie or just a consultant for the 2 on 1 saddles.......

never go to bed with someone crazier then you are, you will do it and you will regret it.......

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ujay says on Jan 17, 2008, 09:14:

Funny, I had no idea of the original etymological roots of the term Gringo, I had been told, from a number of sources, that gringo was from the US invasion of Cuba, where locals put up signs that said "Green Go Home" (US Marines wore green). That got shortened to "gringo". As a dyed-in-the-wool gringo, I think Paul Silvester suffers from false balancing. If he takes offense at the term gringo, that means he doesn't really understand authentic journalism. To equate gringo with "beaner" or even worse, while happily using another racialized and inaccurate term, "Hispanic" defeats the entire argument. I'll take some time to explain how this works.

1. Gringo is often derogatory, why the hell not? The US and Europe destroyed the cultures of the Americas through systematic genocide that continues to this day. The US and Europe have enriched themselves on the resources of Latin America, and rewarded the people of the region with Colonial administrators, puppet regimes, and massive debt. After all of that, I can take being called a gringo.
2. There is a balance of power issue. I have no problem using the term "Cracker" or "Whitey", because I can acknowledge my own privilege, and the pain and suffering others have to endure for me to exist in this same privilege. I honestly think "cracker" or "gringo" is a state of mind. To say that "I have an apartment in Colombia," and to imply that things are fine there, while a social and political holocaust goes on outside your windows is indeed to act like a "cracker" or "gringo", I don't care where you're from. I've spent time there too, and I know the suffering that my friends are having to endure.
3. False Balancing. "Beaner" is a racial term, much like "nigger", used by a group with more privilege to victimize a group with less. These terms are created from above to enforce racial divisions. Gringo is a common term, often used by people engaged in a struggle for sovereignty against people with greater perceived power, and greater privilege. By the way "Hispanic" is another bullshit racialized term. Historically Spanish? Tell that to the Tzotzil, the Mixtec, the Maya, the Guaiu, the Aymara, the Mapuche, the list goes on and on. The only "hispanics" in the Américas are people that came from spain. A great number of people in the Américas have no ancestors from spain, but the Spanish language was imposed by the colonizers. It's like calling me "hisenglish" or "hisukrainian" but we don't do that, because whiteness is normalized, and we don't have to put me in a derogatory racial category.
4. Finally, if you're looking for "UNBIASED" news, I wish you luck. Find me an unbiased journalist, and I'll gladly quit journalism forever. There is no such thing. All people have a bias, and it is expressed through their reporting. I gladly recognize my own. I want to see people achieve sovereignty, and release themselves from the yoke of debt and military slavery. I love narconews because I feel that the journalists here are honest. Authentic. As one of them, I make no claim whatsoever to objectivity, because it doesn't exist.

It's quite true that non-US, Historically European people tend to think of themselves as superior to the United States. Let's remember that the model for Empire that our moronic "leader" is using, much like his predecessors, is from Western Europe. Britain has done much to dismantle indigenous governments, and has committed its own genocides in the interest of a few shillings. European countries, as well as Canada, are complicit in Empire in the Americas and the rest of the world. To all of my friends, to all the autenticos from those countries, just to make things clear, I warmly welcome you to the term "Gringo".

http://www.jukelightning.com

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gatogris says on Jan 17, 2008, 14:37:

I also believe that self-flaggellation is a healthy and productive way to redress historical grievances. Have you ever tried the "Cilice Belt?" I find it answers very well for whenever the white guilt starts to boil over in your viscera.

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houstongal says on Jan 18, 2008, 15:21:

Hmmmm....I wonder if joetexan realizes that john_stark lives in close proximity to each other. Maybe they need to get together and have a beer.

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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john_stark says on Jan 20, 2008, 07:08:

The guy is so muddled it was hard to take anything he said as an insult.

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