Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007

[snip discussion of "gook"]

I went to the archives, because I remember it going back to the early
20th century in the Philippines. On Apr 12 2001, I wrote:

[QUOTE]

Time to dig out the RHHDAS (Random House Historical Dictionary of
American Slang). They have citations [for this] from 1920 onwards. The
first shows
that it was a well-established term in the military:

      1920 Nation (July 10) p.36: the Haitians in whose
    service the United States Marines are supposedly in
    Haiti are nicknamed "Gooks," and have been treated
    with every variety of contempt, insult, and
    brutality. I have heard officers ... talk of
    "bumping off" (i.e. killing) "Gooks" as if it were a
    variety of sport like duck hunting.

RHHDAS says, for origin, "probably from goo-goo 1, influenced by gook
1." Gook 1 is a different word, an underworld term for prostitute, with
citations starting 1859.

But "goo-goo," also spelled "gugu," does look like the same word, and
the citations start at the time of the Spanish-American War. The
definition says, "Originally Military. a Filipino or other islander of
the South China Sea or adjacent areas. Usually used contemptuously."

The first citations are not very revealing, but these are
self-explanatory:

       1900 Baker 30th Infantry: As we advanced down the
    hill, the googoos held their fire.
       1901 Sonnichsen /Among Filipinos/ 366: the
    soldier laughed and called him a "goo-goo," whatever
    that may be.
       1906 Independent: It was hoped that Miss
    Roosevelt would not be seen dancing with any
    "gugu"-- the American term of contempt for the
    Filipino.

[END QUOTE]