The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #69885   Message #1190370
Posted By: McGrath of Harlow
20-May-04 - 10:10 PM
Thread Name: BS: Gung Ho. Where did it come from?
Subject: RE: BS: Gung Ho. Where did it come from?
When I was in the Army is was used derogatorially about those who were extremely military-minded -- "A gung-ho son of a bitch" or "Don't be so damned gung-ho." It was NOT used in the original sense!

But then the same kind of thing can be true of such expressions as "keen". It's not that the original sense is changed, but that it is given a different value in certain circumstances.