It’s not a slur, and it has several origins, but the three most commonly ones are:
1: It’s a corruption of the word “Griego” (Greek). In Spanish and Portuguese, there’s a saying, “It’s Greek to me,” which means “It’s gibberish to me,” implying that the Greek language is difficult to understand.
2: When British workers came to South America to build railways in Brazil, Argentina, and other countries, they would say “Green, go” and “Red, stop” to direct local laborers.
3: During the U.S. invasion of Mexico, Mexican civilians would tell U.S. troops, “Green, go home!” expressing their dislike for the American soldiers.
The word “gringo” basically means “foreigner,” regardless of ethnicity. However, its usage is more commonly used to refer to people from non-Latino countries. In Mexico, it is predominantly used for Americans. In South America, it generally refers to any non-Latino foreigner (though it can occasionally be used to refer to a Latino from another country but this is not common). Also, Gringolandia = USA.
It’s not a slur, and it has several origins, but the three most commonly ones are:
1: It’s a corruption of the word “Griego” (Greek). In Spanish and Portuguese, there’s a saying, “It’s Greek to me,” which means “It’s gibberish to me,” implying that the Greek language is difficult to understand.
2: When British workers came to South America to build railways in Brazil, Argentina, and other countries, they would say “Green, go” and “Red, stop” to direct local laborers.
3: During the U.S. invasion of Mexico, Mexican civilians would tell U.S. troops, “Green, go home!” expressing their dislike for the American soldiers.
The word “gringo” basically means “foreigner,” regardless of ethnicity. However, its usage is more commonly used to refer to people from non-Latino countries. In Mexico, it is predominantly used for Americans. In South America, it generally refers to any non-Latino foreigner (though it can occasionally be used to refer to a Latino from another country but this is not common). Also, Gringolandia = USA.