LINGO

views updated Jun 08 2018

LINGO. An informal, slangy, usually dismissive term for: (1) A language that is perceived as strange and unintelligible: ‘When men speak French, or any Out-landish Linguo’ ( J. Chubbe, Miscellaneous Tracts, 1770). (2) A hybrid PATOIS, often as used in an area where different language groups meet: Border Lingo, a name for the mix of English and Spanish in Texas, also known as TEX-MEX. (3) An unusual way of speaking that is hard to follow; SLANG or JARGON: ‘I have often warned you not to talk the court gibberish to me. I tell you, I don't understand the lingo’ ( Henry Fielding, Tom Jones, 1749). Compare -ESE, -SPEAK, TALK.

lingo

views updated Jun 08 2018

lin·go / ˈling/ • n. (pl. -gos or -goes) inf., often humorous or derog. a foreign language or local dialect: they were unable to speak a word of the local lingo. ∎  the vocabulary or jargon of a particular subject or group of people: fat, known in medical lingo as adipose tissue.

lingo

views updated May 18 2018

lingo foreign, strange or unintelligible language. XVII. prob. — Pg. lingoa :- L. lingua TONGUE.