gung ho
Overly enthusiastic or energeticOverly enthusiastic or energetic.
Meaning
2 senses(derogatory, informal, often)Overly enthusiastic or energetic.
No matter how gung ho you are when you start, you will tire as you become mired in details.
übereifrig
very enthusiastic and dedicated
(derogatory, informal)Cocky; undisciplined; contemptuous of rules.
Translations
3 languagesOrigin
From a catachresis of Mandarin 工合 (gōnghé), an acronym for 工業合作社 /工业合作社 (gōngyè hézuòshè,From a catachresis of Mandarin 工合 (gōnghé), an acronym for 工業合作社 /工业合作社 (gōngyè hézuòshè, “[Chinese] Industrial Cooperative Society”), as 工 (gōng, “work”) + 合 (“together”), literally “to work together”. The interpretation "work together" was created by U.S. Marine Evans Carlson, who was posted in China during the 1930s. It became the motto and nickname of the enthusiastic battalion Carlson commanded, leading to other marines adopting the term to mean "overly enthusiastic". It was popularized in the United States by the war film Gung Ho! (1943), which profiled the battalion's leadership of the Raid on Makin Island during World War II.
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Forms
more gung ho, most gung ho| Comparative | more gung ho Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | most gung ho Lesson |
regular
Lessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form