# 'Mao!' more than ever

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 1, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844 "2001-07-01T14:16:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844/1 "2001-07-01T14:16:23Z")

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Not talking about the former revered leader of a quarter (or so) of the world’s population, but. . .

The scenes from “The Deer Hunter.”

**"Mao!"**  
_:Smack:_  
**MAO!**  
_:SMACK:_

It’s pretty obvious what the captors want and what they mean, but how exactly does _mao_ translate?

(I’ve never seen the word, so I’m guessing at the spelling.)

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**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844/2 "2001-07-01T16:15:18Z")

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They want the grass cut?

_d&r_

[sub]Sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.[/sub]

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844/3 "2001-07-01T16:43:52Z")

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It’s a pejorative word for Caucasian.

Haj

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844/4 "2001-07-01T22:49:56Z")

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So all the times I’ve watched this scene he’s been shouting, ah, “Honky!”? Kinda ruins it for me…

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**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\
**Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mao-more-than-ever/70844/5 "2001-07-02T02:14:48Z")

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_Chairman Honky’s Little Red Book_? Man, it’s no wonder relations between Red China and Communist Vietnam have been so rocky.