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From: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.nlang
Subject: Re: One for our side (gringo)
Message-ID: <645@im4u.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Nov-85 20:02:31 EST
Article-I.D.: im4u.645
Posted: Fri Nov 15 20:02:31 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 17-Nov-85 06:31:48 EST
References: <973@decwrl.UUCP> <12580@rochester.UUCP>
Reply-To: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 26
Xref: linus net.politics:11312 net.nlang:3427

In article <817@asgb.UUCP> devine@asgb.UUCP (Robert J. Devine) writes:
>> In article <36@utastro.UUCP> nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) writes:
>> 
>> I understand that in Argentina "gringo" means "italian".  I would mention
>> the origin of the word, but doubtless everyone knows it already.

Ed, did you know you wrote that?  I thought I did....

>  I've never heard of answer to "where did 'gringo' come from?" that
>had any finality to it.  One proposed source was that American (United
>States-ian:-) soldiers sang a song entitled "Green Grow the Rushes".

That's the story.  Supposedly it happened just after Texas joined
the Union, and the Mexicans wanted something other than "tejanos"
to call the newcomers who were invading their country in the latest war.
The song was popular at that time (1845?) and the troops from the north
sang it as they marched.

It's not proven, but it's pretty plausible.

>Really!

Now there's a cogent and well-reasoned rebuttal if I ever saw one!
-- 
John Quarterman,   UUCP:  {ihnp4,seismo,harvard,gatech}!ut-sally!im4u!jsq
ARPA Internet and CSNET:  jsq@im4u.UTEXAS.EDU, formerly jsq@im4u.ARPA