From Guinea to Ginzo?

James Smith jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM
Wed Feb 14 16:17:50 UTC 2001


--- "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET> wrote:
> >Possibly derived from 'gonzo', Italian for: NOODLE;
> >LOOPY; DUPE; NINNY; NODDY; NINCOMPOOP; MUG.
>
> ...But I think "ginzo" is older than "gonzo", in
> English?...

> -- Doug Wilson

They both could have come from the same Italian word,
'gonzo' entering English directly and ginzo'
transformed by English speakers who misunderstood the
Italian, or deliberately mispronounced it to increase
the effect.  Did 'ginzo' originate as a self-reference
among Italian-Americans, or did it originate with
non-Italian speaking Americans to designate 'those
Eye-talian people'?



=====
James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
SLC, UT                        |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

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