gung-ho

gung-ho
adj. enthusiastic, eager.
Etymology: Chin. gonghe work together, slogan adopted by US Marines in 1942

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/gung"hoh"/, Informal.
adj.
1. wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous: a gung-ho military outfit.
adv.
2. in a successful manner: The business is going gung-ho.
[introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans F. Carlson (1896-1947) < Chin gong hé, the abbreviated name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society, taken by a literal trans. as "work together"]

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gung-ho /gung-hōˈ/ (slang; orig US)
adjective
(excessively or irrationally) enthusiastic, eager or zealous
ORIGIN: Chin gōng work and together

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gung-ho UK [ˌɡʌŋ ˈhəʊ] US [ɡʌŋˈhoʊ] adjective informal
very enthusiastic, especially about something that might be dangerous

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['gəng 'hō]
adj. unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager, esp. about taking part in fighting or warfare

the gung-ho soldier who wants all the big military toys

Origin:
World War II: from Chinese gōnghé, taken to mean ‘work together’ and adopted as a slogan by U.S. Marines

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gung-ho [ˌɡʌŋ ˈhəʊ] [ˈhoʊ] adjective (informal, disapproving)
too enthusiastic about sth, without thinking seriously about it, especially about fighting and war

Many people found her gung-ho attitude to the war deeply offensive.

 
Word Origin:
[gung-ho] Second World War: from Chinese gōnghé, taken to mean ‘work together’ and adopted as a slogan by US Marines.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gung-Ho — est une coopérative chinoise fondée en 1937 par Rewi Alley et ses camarades, à Baoji, Shaanxi, près de la ville de Xi an. La coopérative s est ensuite développée dans les autres régions de Chine. Elle a dû arrêter ses activités en 1952. Elle les… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gung-ho — /gung hoh /, Informal. adj. 1. wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous: a gung ho military outfit. adv. 2. in a successful manner: The business is going gung ho. [introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans… …   Universalium

  • Gung-ho — est une coopérative chinoise fondée en 1937 par Rewi Alley et ses camarades, à Baoji, Shaanxi, près de la ville de Xi an. La coopérative s est ensuite développée dans les autres régions de Chine. Elle a dû arrêter ses activités en 1952. Elle les… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • gung-ho — [ˌgʌŋ ˈhəu US ˈhou] adj informal [Date: 1900 2000; : Chinese; Origin: gonghe, from jongguo gongye hozo she Chinese Industrial Cooperatives Society , used as a battle cry (meaning work together ) by U.S. soldiers in World War II] very eager to do… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • gung ho — also gung ho, gungho, 1942, slang motto of Carlson s Raiders, (2nd Marine Raider Battalion, under Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, 1896 1947), U.S. guerrilla unit operating in the Pacific in World War II, from Chinese kung ho work together, cooperate.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • gung ho — If someone is gung ho about something, they support it blindly and don t think about the consequences …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • gung-ho — [ gʌŋ hou ] adjective INFORMAL very enthusiastic, especially about something that might be dangerous …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • gung ho —    (gung hoh) [Chinese motto: work together] A slogan used by some U.S. Marines in World War II. Informally, as an adjective: enthusiastic; eager; zealous; impassioned …   Dictionary of foreign words and phrases

  • gung ho — [adj] extremely enthusiastic anxious, ardent, dedicated, eager, enthused, excited, fanatical, fired up*, keyed up*, lively, passionate, spirited, zealous; concepts 401,542 …   New thesaurus

  • gung-ho — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager, especially about taking part in fighting or warfare. ORIGIN from a Chinese word taken to mean work together and adopted as a slogan by US Marines …   English terms dictionary

  • gung-ho — ☆ gung ho [guŋ′hō′ ] adj. [Chin, kung ho, lit., work together: slogan of Lt. Col. E. F. Carlson s Marine Raiders in WWII] Informal enthusiastic, cooperative, enterprising, etc. in an unrestrained, often naive way …   English World dictionary

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