Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- interjection idiomatic I haven't seen you for a long time.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Unknown. Attested US 1901, presented as pidgin English by a Native American. Possibly a calque of Chinese Mandarin trad. 好久不見, simpl. 好久不见 (pinyin: hǎojiǔbújiàn), comparable to no can do or chop-chop – if so, most likely US Chinatown origin, alternatively British Far East such as Hong Kong. Alternatively, native American origin, or native coinage as pidgin, particularly in cinematic portrayals of native Americans; compare language used by Tonto (1930s).
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Examples
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