Slang

gonzo

This page is about the slang term gonzo

Meaning

journalistic writing that's deliberately exaggerated and highly stylized

For example

  • The first and greatest exponent of gonzo journalism was the U.S. writer Hunter S. Thompson, and one of his greatest works is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".

  • In gonzo journalism, the writer expresses his own ideas and insights through imaginative writing, rather than simply providing an objective account in a straightforward style.

Origin: first appeared in the late 1960's and possibly borrowed from Italian, in which "gonzo" means "foolish"

Quick Quiz

Journalism that's in the gonzo tradition is

a. traditional objective journalism

b. stylized subjective journalism

c. typical modern journalism
a) traditional objective journalism b) stylized subjective journalism c) typical modern journalism

See Slang of the Day today

Contributor: Matt Errey