gung-ho
[ guhng-hoh ]
/ ˈgʌŋˈhoʊ /
adjective
wholeheartedly enthusiastic and loyal; eager; zealous: a gung-ho military outfit.
adverb
in a successful manner: The business is going gung-ho.
Origin of gung-ho
introduced as a training slogan in 1942 by U.S. Marine officer Evans F. Carlson (1896–1947) < Chinese
gōng hé, the abbreviated name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Society, taken by a literal translation as “work together”
Words nearby gung-ho
British Dictionary definitions for gung ho
gung ho
/ (ɡʌŋ həʊ) /
adjective
extremely enthusiastic and enterprising, sometimes to excess
extremely keen to participate in military combat
Word Origin for gung ho
C20: pidgin English, from Mandarin Chinese
kung work +
ho together
Cultural definitions for gung ho
gung-ho
Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: “He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.”
Idioms and Phrases with gung ho
gung ho
Also, gung-ho. Extremely enthusiastic or dedicated, as in She was gung ho about her new job. This expression was introduced in 1942 as a training slogan for a U.S. Marine battalion, derived from what an American officer thought were Mandarin Chinese words for “work together.” It was actually an abbreviation for the name of Chinese industrial cooperatives.