[Ads-l] antedating of "gung ho"

[Jonathan Lighter]

Kool.

JL

On Sun, Mar 24, 2024 at 4:25 PM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net> wrote:

>
> I found one from 19 November 1939 using a different transliteration:
>
> Evans, Jessie Fant. “China’s Co-operatives Form a New Wall, Visitor Says.”
> Sunday Star (Washington, DC), 19 November 1939, C-10. NewsBank: America’s
> Historical Newspapers.
>
> "A red blunted triangle inscribed with the white character 'Kung Ho,'
> meaning 'We Work Together,' is the insignia of these Chinese industrials.
> It appears upon the some 50 products they turn out."
>
> Other early citations are at [
> https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/gung-ho ](
> https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/gung-ho )
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2024 3:37pm
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] antedating of "gung ho"
>
>
>
> Nice, Fred.
>
> Earlier than that, the same quote appeared in the _Glen Innes [NSW]
> Examiner_ (Dec. 17, 1940), p. 8, with an indication that it was in print
> "some months" before:
>
> "Some months ago we ('The Primary Producer') were able to publish a short
> series of articles received through the International Labor Office, which
> is associated with the League of Nations in Geneva, outlining the plans
> made for the national and industrial salvation of China in her struggle
> with Japanese aggression through the co-operative organisation of the
> industrial, and as much as possible of the social life of the Chinese
> people."
>
> Quotation marks around the rest of the article confirm it was a reprint.
>
> JL
>
>
> "
>
> On Sun, Mar 24, 2024 at 1:50 PM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>
> > "to so" in the citation below is a typo for "so to"
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> > ________________________________
> > From: Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> > Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2024 1:48 PM
> > To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: antedating of "gung ho"
> >
> > Here's a slightly earlier citation:
> >
> > 1940 _Cessnock_ (New SouthWales) _Eagle and South Mainland Recorder_ 24
> > Dec/ 5/2 (Newspapers.com) "And to so the people of Australia we give our
> > salute – Gung-Ho! 'Co-operate in work!'"
> >
> > Fred Shapiro
> >
> > ________________________________
> > From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> > Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2024 11:22 AM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Subject: antedating of "gung ho"
> >
> > OED: Nov. 8, 1942
> >
> > 1941 _Evening Bulletin_ (Providence, R.I.) (Jan. 31) 21: There is a new
> > battle cry being shouted in China today. It is Gung-ho and it means
> simply,
> > "Work together." ...Gung-ho is the slogan of the Chinese Industrial
> > Co-operatives.
> >
> > 1941 _Oakland Tribune_ (Sept. 19) 33 [ad]: GUNG HO (In Chinese, "Work
> > Together") The Story of United China.
> > ,
> > 1941 _Evening Herald and Express_ (L.A.) (Sept. 5) 21: When Dan Arnstein
> of
> > New York City went to China as President Roosevelt's man to speed traffic
> > over the Burma Road, he learned a new phrase. "Gung Ho!" was the phrase,
> > meaning "work together," and it's a slogan we need in America
> > today....Britain and America still have much to learn about the power of
> > "Gung Ho!"
> >
> > 1941 _Washington Post_ (Dec. 7) III 3: Mrs. Truman Potter will give a
> talk
> > explaining Gung Ho. Gung Ho is Chinese for working together.
> >
> > The Jan. 31 cite is from a story that had appeared slightly earlier in
> > _Survey Graphic_, not online.
> >
> > These instances show that Lt. Col. Evans Carlson wasn't alone in
> > introducing the slogan into English, though doubtless it was popularized
> > only by newspaper reports of the attack on Makin I. by his Second Marine
> > Raider Battalion on Aug. 17-18, 1942. It was popularized further by the
> > movie "Gung Ho!", released in Jan., 1944.
> >
> > NewspaperArchive finds some twenty occurrences of "Gung ho!" before
> August,
> > 1942.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > --
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >
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>
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"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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