Tonto
adj, name, noun, slang ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Synonym of idiot: someone who is foolish or stupid. slang
"Even us tontos figured that one out."
- 2 a traditional Ugandan fermented beverage made from bananas uncountable
- 3 A sidekick.
"Salespeople may see themselves as Lone Rangers, not in need of any help, save for the occasional advice from a Tonto (or technical sales specialist)."
- 4 A Native American who accepts a subservient position to a white person.
"They called Indians like him — that is, any Indian who tried to make it by working within the system — a "Tonto.""
- 1 Synonym of crazy. offensive, possibly, slang
"He told the businessmen that the law that required the certification by the President was ‘tonto’."
- 1 The Native American sidekick of the Lone Ranger.
- 2 A member of the Tonto Apaches.
Example
More examples"Even us tontos figured that one out."
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish tonto (“stupid, foolish; idiot, fool”), of uncertain etymology. Originally in US use but now chiefly British. Cf. earlier Tonto, with which it is sometimes confused.
From Spanish tonto (“fool, idiot”), the Spanish name for the tribe, a calque of Western Apache kounʼnde (“wild rough people”). The fictional character (described as Comanche or Potawatomi) either from Potawatomi or named after Tonto Basin, Arizona.