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mongo

C2
Uncommon

Pronunciation

UK

  • /mˈɒŋɡəʊ/

US

    Meanings

    Noun

    1. MongoDB or the MongoDB database system in developer shorthand

    2. an offensive slang term for a person regarded as stupid or for someone with Down syndrome

    Beyond the definition

    "Mongo" is an informal word that some people use for a very large, clumsy, or rough person. Many people know it from the 1974 Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles, where Mongo is a huge and powerful character. Because of that movie, the word can sound comic or exaggerated when it is used about someone who seems big, awkward, or heavy-handed.

    But there is an important warning here: in real life, this word can sound rude and offensive. It is often used as an insult for someone seen as foolish, crude, or slow, and some listeners may connect it with older slurs related to disability. Because of that, it is usually better to avoid it unless you are clearly talking about the movie character.

    Examples

    1. 1

      Street finds

      There was a lot of good mongo on the curb after move-out weekend.

      • UsageIn New York slang, mongo

        useful things taken from the trash.

    2. 2

      Apartment furnishing

      He furnished most of his apartment with mongo he found on the street.

    3. 3

      Good find

      That old record player was her best mongo score all summer.

      • Phrasemongo score

        an especially good thing found this way

    See also

    Similar

    • möngö

    Contrast

    • tugrik

    Used with (collocations)

    • one mongo
    • one hundred mongo
    • mongo coin

    Explore

    • monetary subunit
    • cent

    Forms and spellings

    1 form open this card.

    Main spelling

    • mongonoun