# Origin of "Roach"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [November 13, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075 "2003-11-13T19:33:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075/41 "2003-11-26T00:47:43Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by aircheck \*  
> \*\*Oh, sorry. I’m new here.
> 
> X) \*\*

You need pay no attention to any statement made by anyone who addresses themselves in any way with “esq”.  
But you _did_ say this;  
“Marijuana is a slang for cannabis.”  
Well… “Colita” is slang for marijuana!  
And this;  
“And therefore … ?”  
Therefore, minus any credible cites to the contrary, I have no compelling reason to believe that the term “roach” is Mexican in origin. I gotta give it to you though, that was a pretty good try (a sly twist) at the translation thing.  
Peace,  
mangeorge

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075/42 "2003-11-26T00:54:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by carolynpurcell \*  
> \*\*More on Oscar Zeta Acosta and his relationship to the Samoan attorney:
> 
> [The Great Thompson Hunt - HST & Friends - Oscar Zeta Acosta](http://www.gonzo.org/hst/oscar/) \*\*

Thank you, **carolynpurcell** , what a cool 🆒 site. I’ve always wanted to get more into _Hunter_’s work, but never did. What an excellent place to start. His stuff doesn’t do well with “drive-by” reading, IMO.  
Peace,  
mangeorge

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075/43 "2003-11-26T04:46:26Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> You need pay no attention to any statement made by anyone who addresses themselves in any way with “esq”.

What a stupid load of nonsense. I use the term not because I like it (indeed, I browbeat my secretaries not to use it on correspondence), but because it easily conveys the meaning within the 8 characters originally allowed by AOL, a plus for an e-mail address. Anti-elitest silliness is hardly a valuable quality.

But I hardly meant for **aircheck** to feel bad or to feel like he/she needed to apologize. Rather, my point was that debating you was silly because you can’t debate such a point, which I believe you conceded

> [@](#):
>
> I simply prefer my (and the OP’s) story.

I’d prefer a nice daquiri while watching the waves roll in on a tropical island beach, but I’m stuck looking at snow on corn fields in NW Ohio. Fact is much less fun than fantasy. 😉

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075/44 "2003-11-27T00:41:24Z")

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Golly, **DSYoungEsq** , now I feel kinda guilty because I do live here in my paradise. I give up some stuff, I guess, for my blissful life. 🙂 You don’t really know if you’re stuck in something until you try really hard to pull away.  
I’ve tried pretty hard to prove, one way or the other, which story is true. Given that the proof doesn’t seem to be there, I get to choose my _own_ favorite story.  
Do you ever have conversations with people who have differing opinions, but not debate? I do. People make comments and offer opinions around a subject. Sometimes I’m even convinced. Almost always I learn. Rarely do I take it _really_ serious. I save that serious stuff for debate, and this isn’t the proper forum for debate.  
Is that what “concede” means? 😉

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-roach/213075/45 "2003-11-27T14:51:54Z")

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I’ve been to Berkeley. Paradise it ain’t, but you sure can get decent grub. 🙂

_Concedo_

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