elmeromero

Dude was originally a term employed by rural folks to refer to city slickers. A "dude ranch" is a working ranch that caters to city residents and trots them around on horses for high prices. At some point, surfers started calling each other dude, and some time afterward, all of California. More or less.

reminder

Yes, Sabrina.

These days "dude" is very much used by young American men in informal contexts. And everyday more and more people use it.

hankco

i'd say dude is nowadays almost standard for american informal conversation, if i could say such a thing... !!! it could surely be looked upon depending on the context you're using it, though, dude heheheheh!

Thomas

Apparently, an early meaning of "dude" was someone overly dressed for the occasion, overly conscious of clothing and fashion. In time the meaning changed. Sometimes you will hear it in cowboy/western movies to refer to someone from the East. Westerners use it even today to mean someone from the city who is not dressed for the country and lacks country skills. For example, they may use boots, hats, belts, etc. that nobody from the country would use for everyday wear. When I was a kid, I lived on a ranch in Arizona. I assure you that it was an insult to call someone "dude". However, it was acceptable to say "to be duded up" to mean to be dressed in one's best clothing, fancy clothing, etc.

The West still has "dude ranchs", places where people from the city can get a taste of country living. Some of the estancias in Argentina and pousadas in Brazil are set up along the lines of dude ranchs with horseback riding, barbecues, etc.

Among Hispanics in the USA, in place of "dude", the word "homes" is often heard. "Homes" or "homey" can be used in reference to males or females. You'll also hear "homeboy" and "homegirl". A homeboy is someone from your barrio, but it's often a friendly greeting to anyone young. (Ex: Who was the homeboy I saw you with last night? How are things, homes?)

Among blacks in the US, "brother" and "sister" are common. I assume that the terms come from the practice of Protestants calling one another "brother" or "sister". (Ex: A brother came to see you this morning while you were out of the office. Brother Smith, how are you today?) As you can see, the term is not used quite like "hermano" in Spanish.

For ten years I lived in a small community in the mountains north of San Bernardino, California. "Downtown" had a bar, a post office, a fire department (the firemen only came in case of fire), and a water company. That was all. The population of squirrels was much greater than that of humans. For food, gasoline, etc. I had to go to one of the larger towns nearby. Visitors from the city were called "flatlanders". "Mountain people", as we referred to ourselves, were convinced that living in the mountains made us better drivers, smarter, wiser, etc. than the flatlanders who would come up the mountain for a weekend. No, I didn't call anyone a "flatlander"!

I lived for two years in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Every "gaucho" that all true Brazilians live in the South. A man from Ceara told me he had spent 13 years living in that area before feeling accepted. On the other hand, a man from Maranhao encouraged me to go the the Northeast, saying that there the true Brazil could be found, and that only foreigners lived elsewhere. I am superior to you. Where I live is better than where you live. Does that sound familiar?

Be well.

ScottJ

Interesting thread and great contributions by a lot of people. I will say that I find it more common now for Americans, including myself, to replace "guy" with "dude" in the sense of "I met this dude the other day..." I never address anyone as "Dude", but I enjoy the usage I mentioned earlier.

I do find it interesting that no one has yet mentioned "The Big Lebowski"..."but, that's like, your opinion, man"

carlam

I think it's strange that people are hearing "dude" "more and more everday"... I feel like I hear "guy" or "hey man" more than anything. WHAT

justinb

"or El Duderino, if youre not into the whole brevity thing."

"This is our concern, Dude."

"Dude here."

MadridBill

I use it all the time, although I must say I'm thinking of working in "El Duderino" after reading justinb's post...

spanishmatters

Who has not ever heard the word "dude" in conversation in the US!? Young people use this word all the time, myself included. I think it's a pretty common word, used the same as "huey" in Mexico or "mae" in Costa Rica. Don't know how you could have gotten through a ton of American conversation without ever hearing "dude!"

Veronica

Hi dudes, you have to see Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, it's like a fast course on the use of "dude" and other teenage slang.
Probably now it's outdated, but will do, and how weird is Neo dressed as Ted now? heheheheh

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