gaucho

adj.

1 Argentinean.

2 gaucho.

m.

gaucho, cowboy of the pampas.

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1. SM

1) LAm gaucho; (=vaquero) cowboy, herdsman, herder (EEUU)

2) Cono Sur (=jinete) good rider, expert horseman

3) And (=sombrero) wide-brimmed straw hat

2. ADJ

1) gaucho antes de s , gaucho-like

2) Cono Sur * (=servicial) helpful

GAUCHO Gaucho is the name given to the men who rode the Pampa, the plains of Argentina, Uruguay and parts of southern Brazil, earning their living on cattle farms. Important parts of the gaucho's traditional costume include the faja, a sash worn around the waist, the facón, a sheath knife, and boleadoras, strips of leather weighted with stones at either end which were used somewhat like lassos to catch cattle. During the 19th century this vast pampas area was divided up into large ranches and the free-roaming lifestyle of the gaucho gradually disappeared. Gauchos were the inspiration for a tradition of literatura gauchesca, of which the most famous work is the two-part epic poem "Martín Fierro" written by the Argentine José Hernández between 1872 and 1879 and mourning the loss of the gaucho way of life and their persecution as outlaws.

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masculino gaucho

•• Cultural note:

gaucho

A peasant of the pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Modern gauchos work as foremen on farms and ranches and take part in rodeos. Gauchos fought for Argentine independence from Spain, but later became involved in political disputes and suffered persecution. A literary genre, literatura gauchesca, grew up in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The most famous work is Martín Fierro, an epic poem by José Hernández about the misfortunes of an Argentine gaucho when the huge pampas are divided into ranches. Traditionally gauchos wore baggy trousers, leather chaps, a chiripá, a garment that went over their trousers and came up around their waist, boots, a hat, a leather waistcoat, a belt with a large buckle. They carried a facón - a large knife with a curved blade, and used boleadoras, ropes weighted at each end and thrown like lassos, to catch cattle

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masculino gaucho

•• Cultural note:

gaucho

A peasant of the pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Modern gauchos work as foremen on farms and ranches and take part in rodeos. Gauchos fought for Argentine independence from Spain, but later became involved in political disputes and suffered persecution. A literary genre, literatura gauchesca, grew up in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The most famous work is Martín Fierro, an epic poem by José Hernández about the misfortunes of an Argentine gaucho when the huge pampas are divided into ranches. Traditionally gauchos wore baggy trousers, leather chaps, a chiripá, a garment that went over their trousers and came up around their waist, boots, a hat, a leather waistcoat, a belt with a large buckle. They carried a facón - a large knife with a curved blade, and used boleadoras, ropes weighted at each end and thrown like lassos, to catch cattle

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gaucho¹ -cha

adjective

1 (RPl fam) (servicial) helpful, obliging

2 (Chi) (argentino) Argentinian

gaucho²

masculine

gaucho (↑ gaucho a1)

gaucho (South American cowboy)

CULTURAL NOTE

gaucho

A peasant of the pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Modern gauchos work as foremen on farms and ranches and take part in rodeos.

Gauchos fought for Argentine independence from Spain, but later became involved in political disputes and suffered persecution.

A literary genre, literatura gauchesca, grew up in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The most famous work is Martín Fierro, an epic poem by José Hernández about the misfortunes of an Argentine gaucho when the huge pampas are divided into ranches.

Traditionally gauchos wore baggy trousers, leather chaps, a chiripá, a garment that went over their trousers and came up around their waist, boots, a hat, a leather waistcoat, a belt with a large buckle. They carried a facón - a large knife with a curved blade, and used boleadoras, ropes weighted at each end and thrown like lassos, to catch cattle.

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gaucho sustantivo masculino
gaucho
'gaucho' also found in these entries:
Spanish:
bombacha
- matrero

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gaucho, -a

♦ adj

RP Fam [servicial] helpful, obliging

♦ nm,f

gaucho

GAUCHO

The Gauchos were the cowboys of Argentina and Uruguay, skilled horsemen who were in charge of the huge cattle-herds of the pampas. The culture of the Gaucho, which dates from colonial times, combines elements from several sources: Spain, indigenous Indian culture, and that of freed slaves. They gained fame for their courage and daring during the wars of independence against Spain, but they later became increasingly marginalized because of their fiercely independent spirit and nomadic customs. Nevertheless they remain vivid figures in the national imagination, together with their working tools and weapons – the Spanish hunting knife and Indian “boleadoras” – their distinctive clothing, such as the poncho, and customs, such as drinking mate and singing campfire songs. They were immortalized by José Hernández in his long poem “El gaucho Martín Fierro” (1872-79), which is Argentina's national epic and did much to create and popularize their legend. Although this tradition may be affectionately sent up nowadays (e.g. in the comic strip “Inodoro Pereyra” by the cartoonist Fontanarrosa), the Gaucho is still regarded by many as the embodiment of the virtues of solidarity and companionship.

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gaucho

Rpl

I adj gaucho atr

II m gaucho

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gaucho nm

: gaucho