Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

gonzo

 - 4 dictionary results

gon⋅zo

  [gon-zoh] Slang.
Use gonzo in a Sentence
–adjective
1. (of journalism, reportage, etc.) filled with bizarre or subjective ideas, commentary, or the like.
2. crazy; eccentric.
–noun
3. eccentricity, weirdness, or craziness.
Origin:
1970–75, Americanism; appar. first used in the phrase Gonzo journalism by U.S. journalist Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939); perh. < It: simpleton, one easily duped (of uncert. orig.) or < Sp ganso a lazy or dull person, lit., goose (< Gmc; see goose )
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To gonzo
gon·zo   (gŏn'zō)   
adj.   Slang

  1. Using an exaggerated, highly subjective style, especially in journalism: "a hyperkinetic, gonzo version of Graham Greene" (New Yorker).

  2. Bizarre; unconventional.


[Perhaps Italian, simpleton (perhaps short for Borgonzone, Burgundian) or Spanish ganso, dullard, goose (of Germanic origin; see ghans- in Indo-European roots).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
gonzo [ˈgɑnzo]

  1. n.
    a silly or foolish person. : Some gonzo is on the phone asking for the president of the universe.
  2. mod.
    crazy. : Who drew this gonzo picture of me?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

gonzo 
1971, Amer.Eng., in Hunter S. Thompson's phrase gonzo journalism, from It. gonzo "simpleton, blockhead." Thompson in 1972 said he got it from editor Bill Cardosa, and explained it as "some Boston word for weird, bizarre."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see gonzo on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way