Mongo

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Jul 15, 2004, at 6:07 AM, Page Stephens wrote:

> Do any of you remember the complaints about the name Mongo which Mel
> Brooks
> used for a huge dimwitted person played by Alex Karras as I recall in
> "Blazing Saddles"?
>
> Defenders of the retarded got up in arms and accused Brooks of
> insulting the
> retarded by calling them mongoloids.
>
> Brooks then had to explain to them that it had nothing whatsoever to
> do with
> any insult but was merely a cheap joke since when Mongo rides into
> town a
> Mexican shouts out, "Mongo, Santamaria!".
>
> I trust you know the reference.

this "mongo" -- 'huge' (and also 'very many/much') -- might well have
its origin in Blazing Saddles; at least, that's the earliest cite HDAS
(which glosses it HUMONGOUS, suggesting that as a derivation) has.
almost surely a different word from the trash "mongo".

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)