# "Gringo" - Is it offensive? How offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268 "2019-02-10T03:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/61 "2019-02-20T19:03:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > For those not wanting to click **Novelty Bobble’s** link, that origin story is entirely bogus. The actual origin of the term seems to be “_griego_” (Greek), for someone whose language is unintelligible. (The same analogy appears in English, as in "It’s all Greek to me!) But in Mexican Spanish, I’ve only heard that something is like “chino” (Chinese). ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/62 "2019-02-21T00:11:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Likewise “Chinaman” has become offensive in the US, even though its construction parallels (although not exactly the same, since it refers to a country rather than a nationality) acceptable terms like Irishman, Scotchman, or Frenchman. No dispute on the first, but are the others still in use, or are all somewhat antiquated? Perhaps I’m not sufficiently familiar with contemporary US usage; I would use Irish, Scots, and French in place of those terms. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/63 "2019-02-21T02:21:41Z")
“Scot” is a noun for a resident of Scotland, but are “French” and “Irish” nouns? Would you say “A Scot, a French, and an Irish walked into a pub?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/64 "2019-02-21T08:44:06Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > [It certainly may](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gringo/) Right, though one doesn’t need Snopes to know that such as story is total nonsense. Time and again we see that language won’t contort itself in such ways, and certainly not for the sake of a treacly story. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/65 "2019-02-21T13:26:50Z")
**Colibri** writes: “…acceptable terms like Irishman, Scotchman, or Frenchman”. > [@Apollyon](#): > > No dispute on the first, but are the others still in use, or are all somewhat antiquated? Perhaps I’m not sufficiently familiar with contemporary US usage; I would use Irish, Scots, and French in place of those terms. A bit of nitpickery / attempted informing, from a Briton (English variety), re words to refer to “Scotspersons”: “Scotchman” was, I believe, standard up to a couple of hundred years ago; but has fallen out of use, and is not recognised by the folk of the country of Scotland. Nowadays, it’s “Scot / Scots”; or “Scotsman / Scotsmen” (I don’t think “Scotswoman / women” is used widely, if indeed it’s used at all). The adjective is “Scottish” or “Scots”. The adjective"Scotch" nowadays seems to be reserved for whisky; hard-boiled eggs in a meat-and-breadcrumb crust; “… Bonnet” peppers (very hot); and adhesive tape. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/66 "2019-02-21T14:33:15Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Right, though one doesn’t need Snopes to know that such as story is total nonsense. Time and again we see that language won’t contort itself in such ways, and certainly not for the sake of a treacly story. It appears **Pithily Effusive** has been disciplined for his/her treacly story. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/67 "2019-02-21T14:39:17Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > The adjective"Scotch" nowadays seems to be reserved for whisky; hard-boiled eggs in a meat-and-breadcrumb crust; “… Bonnet” peppers (very hot); and adhesive tape. And the name of the adhesive tape is based on the derogatory meaning of “Scotch” as “stingy.” The first samples didn’t have enough adhesive on them, leading a user to complain that the “Scotch bosses” of the company were being cheap with it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/68 "2019-02-21T14:47:46Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > No dispute on the first, but are the others still in use, or are all somewhat antiquated? Perhaps I’m not sufficiently familiar with contemporary US usage; I would use Irish, Scots, and French in place of those terms. My point was a grammatical one - that the other terms are not generally considered derogatory, while “Chinaman,” although similar in construction, certainly is. Interestingly, Ngram viewer shows that all terms with the -man construction, including [Englishman, Frenchman, Dutchman, Chinaman, Scotchman, and Scotsman](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Scotchman%2CScotsman%2CIrishman%2CFrenchman%2CChinaman%2C+Englishman%2C+Dutchman&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CScotchman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CScotsman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CIrishman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CFrenchman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CChinaman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CEnglishman%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CDutchman%3B%2Cc0) have declined greatly since the 1920s. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/69 "2019-02-21T16:31:22Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > It appears **Pithily Effusive** has been disciplined for his/her treacly story. Well _ **that’s** _ a refreshing change of policy. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/70 "2019-02-21T17:01:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In some dialects of Spanish it can also be used as a term of endearment towards a woman who may or may not be black. Yes, definitely. > [@Colibri](#): > > In Panama, it is my understanding that describing a person as _negro/a_ is considered a bit crude/rude at best. Jeez. I’m sure those puffed-up Panamanians never appreciated the inimitable [Milly Quezada](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYw-0o9zQA8), who–for me at least–helped make growing up in the 80’s bearable. I would’ve been that _negro_ any day. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/71 "2019-02-21T18:33:37Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > But in Mexican Spanish, I’ve only heard that something is like “chino” (Chinese). Same in Spain. We do say that someone _sabe latín y Diego_ (malapropism for _sabe latín y griego_, knows/speaks/reads Latin and Greek), but this is a reference to the schooling required for certain professions such as priests and lawyers back when that line was born; if the same sentence had been born nowadays it might speak of high math instead. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/72 "2019-02-21T18:53:39Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Jeez. I’m sure those puffed-up Panamanians never appreciated the inimitable [Milly Quezada](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYw-0o9zQA8), who–for me at least–helped make growing up in the 80’s bearable. I would’ve been that _negro_ any day. As Nava’s previous post implies, there may be regional differences in what is regarded as acceptable. Quezada is a Dominican and word usage may be different there. If Panamanians have a different standard of polite usage, it’s not because they’re “puffed up.” (I also wouldn’t use the lyrics of a merengue song as a guide to what’s OK in polite conversation.) ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/73 "2019-02-21T19:40:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There’s a limit to how offensive it’s possible for a term to be, that refers to the socioeconomically dominant ethnic group of a region. By contrast, terms for less privileged ethnic groups, even if they start off value-neutral, can often become offensive. It must be nice to declare an opinion as a fact. I’m sure the words the Hutus used to describe the Tutsis prior to hostilities were bound by that upper limit of offensiveness. The truth is, language always depends upon context. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/74 "2019-02-21T21:58:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > And the name of the adhesive tape is based on the derogatory meaning of “Scotch” as “stingy.” The first samples didn’t have enough adhesive on them, leading a user to complain that the “Scotch bosses” of the company were being cheap with it. I had no idea re significance – other than " ‘because’ – who knows?" Thanks: ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/75 "2019-02-22T00:36:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > My point was a grammatical one - that the other terms are not generally considered derogatory, while “Chinaman,” although similar in construction, certainly is. Fair enough. The degree of derogatoriness (is that even a word) 🙂 being correlated to historical animus of use is perforce regional. Just for interest, Auckland, where I live, has an area called Chinaman’s Hill, so named for the several Chinese owned market gardens operating in the early 1900s. Wellington has an Oriental Bay, named for an early settler ship. Both names seem rather quaint and old fashioned, but have so far not elicited outrage and a call for change. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/76 "2019-02-22T00:41:11Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Would you say “A Scot, a French, and an Irish walked into a pub?” > > 😛 D’oh :smack: No, I’d say Angus, Jean-Pierre, and Paddy walked into a bar… if I was the sort to tell a joke like that. 😃 Point taken. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Turk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dan\_Turk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Turk)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/77 "2019-02-22T02:00:08Z")
be more worried about pendejo ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/78 "2019-02-22T05:09:40Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Fair enough. The degree of derogatoriness (is that even a word) 🙂 being correlated to historical animus of use is perforce regional. Heck, about 90% of Spain can say “he’s from Madrid” (that being an actual, literal statement) and make it sound like it means “he rapes kittens before burning them alive and eating the remains” (which is generally not literal). The phrase itself isn’t an insult, the tone and accompanying body language BURRRRRRRN… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/79 "2019-02-22T05:16:20Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Wellington has an Oriental Bay, named for an early settler ship. “Oriental” is really only considered offensive when it is applied to people. Speaking about an “oriental rug” is OK. So it would only be problematic if it referred to a settlement of Chinese people there. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/80 "2019-02-22T05:20:23Z")
> [@Dan\_Turk](#): > > be more worried about pendejo Why? [It just means “my real good friend.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UddFQUIREaE)😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268.md?page=5)