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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 4 American terms #3204 06/02/00 09:52 AM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York R Rubrick OP addict OP Rubrick addict R Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York Hi y'all, I've been interested in a number of American terms but I am dissatisfied with their given definitions. There seem to be so many different variations. Can anyone offer me some better explanations of how they emanated?? Two in particular: Main Entry: grin·go Pronunciation: 'gri[ng]-(")gO Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural gringos Etymology: Spanish, alteration of griego Greek, stranger, from Latin Graecus Greek Date: 1849 often disparaging : a foreigner in Spain or Latin America especially when of English or American origin; broadly : a non-Hispanic person This is interesting because I have heard the legend that the cowboys of texas sang a song called 'green grows the grass of .........' and the mexicans picked it up as 'gringos'. The definition above sounds more plausible but I am in two minds as to which version to accept. Main Entry: Dix·ie Pronunciation: 'dik-sE Function: noun Etymology: name for the Southern states in the song Dixie (1859) by Daniel D. Emmett Date: 1859 : the Southern states of the U.S. Okay. I know the song and it makes sense that it was adopted by the Southerners particularly at that volatile time in US history. But where did the word 'Dixie' come from???? My educated guess would be that it has something to do with the Mason-Dixon line. Am I right?? Does anyone truly know? I look forward to your comments...... Rubrick Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3205 06/02/00 11:54 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York Brick, Well.... y'all are barkin up mah tree. I've heard the "Green grow the rushes, oh" explanation, too, but although that is a marvelous [sic] counting song, I think it's apocryphal in explaining the word "gringo." I'll go with your etymological research. As for Dixie, yep, you got it. Mason-Dixon line. No doubt there. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3206 06/02/00 12:09 PM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York R Rubrick OP addict OP Rubrick addict R Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York > As for Dixie, yep, you got it. Mason-Dixon line. No doubt there. Shouldn't that make the Northerners 'masonet(te)s'? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3207 06/02/00 12:30 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York >>Shouldn't that make the Northerners 'masonet(te)s'? hehehe... sure, or at the very least, Freemasons Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3208 06/02/00 12:41 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky "Freemasons"?? GREAT!! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3209 06/02/00 03:53 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass >Shouldn't that make the Northerners 'masonet(te)s'? oh sure; and southern belles who get too much sun are raisonettes. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3210 06/02/00 07:23 PM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 112 Auckland, New Zealand D David108 member David108 member D Joined: May 2000 Posts: 112 Auckland, New Zealand >>Shouldn't that make the Northerners 'ma(i)sonet(te)s'?<< I would have thought that Northerners lived in them! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3211 06/02/00 10:29 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky >>>>Shouldn't that make the Northerners 'ma(i)sonet(te)s'?<< I would have thought that Northerners lived in them! <<< So do southerners! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3212 06/02/00 10:31 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky >>southern belles who get too much sun are raisonettes.<< Why, that's our raison d'etre! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: American terms #3213 06/03/00 02:47 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 163 Malaga, Spain. J juanmaria member juanmaria member J Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 163 Malaga, Spain. > Main Entry: grin·go > Etymology: Spanish, alteration of griego Greek, stranger, from Latin I think this is a Mexican word, nobody uses it in Spain but I am pretty sure that this ‘griego’ etymology is not correct. I see this ‘green grows’ more plausible. I think that it is an onomatopoetic word that tries to imitate the gibberish that the sounds of a foreign language seem to a stranger. We have a slang word ‘guiri’ with the same etymology I have supposed for ‘gringo’ that we employ when referring to any non Spanish speaker, but mainly from countries with non Latin languages. Although it can be used in an offensive way, most time we use it quite amiably -we really owe a lot to tourists-. I even have an English friend -Marcos- and he introduces himself as ‘Marcos el guiri’. Juan Maria. 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