Bandido or bandito?

[texas_girl]

Which is the correct spelling, bandido or bandito? I've seen both... so I'm not exactly sure which one to use. Western Words says it's bandido... I'm so confused right now! Help!

[thothguard51]

I think bandidio is a bandit who belongs to a gang while bandito is a bandit with no gang affiliation. I could be wrong, but that is how I have seen it used, or maybe I have it backwards?

Whatever you use, be consistent in how you use it...

[ElisabethF]

Putting 'bandit' in Google's translator and translating to Spanish gets 'bandido.' Put in 'bandito' with the T and it detects the language as Italian.

I wouldn't rely solely on that, though, especially if it's a grammatical issue; online translators aren't the best in that department. :) You'd probably want to find a good source for Spanish language questions, or someone who speaks it.

[texas_girl]

Thanks you both for the feedback! What's funny is that I actually speak a little Spanish, but we never learned the word for bandit!

[Kaiser-Kun]

It's Bandido in spanish. Bandito was probably used in Spaghetti Westerns.

[Puma]

But ... ito (or ita) is the diminutive form in Spanish meaning little. So Bandito is not impossible (and my Spanish dictionary is the only one that's not here at my desk - grrr.) Puma

[Kaiser-Kun]

I think if it were a diminutive, it'd be "Bandidito". Bandito sounds quite off. Trust me, I've got some experience in spanish. xD

[Bartholomew]

Which is the correct spelling, bandido or bandito? I've seen both... so I'm not exactly sure which one to use. Western Words says it's bandido... I'm so confused right now! Help!

Bandido. The -ito/a ending is a way to make something diminutive, as others have said, and there are rules for applying it to a word (simple rules, but rules none-the-less.) As another poster said, to make a diminuative bandit, you'd have the word "bandidito." The same rule applies for amigo. Amigo, friend; amigito, little friend.

May I ask the context? I never really hear anyone use the word bandido.

[frimble3]

I know it's current use, as the name of a motorcycle gang. Originally from Texas, I believe, with a lot of notoriety in eastern Canada.

[Jonah Hex]

Cowboy Talk, vocabulario Vaquero Cowboy by Robert N. Smead says this:

http://i.imgur.com/TntyN.jpg

The Western Lore and Language : A Dictionary for Enthusiasts of the American West by Thomas L. Clark says this:

http://i.imgur.com/fL6en.jpg

I think both terms are correct :)

[Puma]

Jonah - Did you come up with Cowboy Talk as a Google book search result? And, if so, how did you manage to copy it? I found the same thing last night, but I have never been able to directly copy from a Google book - I always have to copy anything pertinent long-hand. I'd love to know how you did it. Puma

[ElisabethF]

Puma, have you tried taking screenshots from Google Books? That gets you an image, so you still can't copy and paste the text, but it might be helpful for quick reference.

[Jonah Hex]

Jonah - Did you come up with Cowboy Talk as a Google book search result? And, if so, how did you manage to copy it? I found the same thing last night, but I have never been able to directly copy from a Google book - I always have to copy anything pertinent long-hand. I'd love to know how you did it. Puma
Hi Puma, to take a copy from Google Books the only thing to do is print it on a image file (.jpg) how I did. Open the Google Books page you prefer than press the button "Stamp" on your keyboard. Make a "copy and paste" on an empty Photoshop or Paint file, cut the section you want and save it as a jpg (or png, or gif) file.

Hi!

[Puma]

Thank you, Elizabeth and Jonah. You're both beyond me, but I suspect my daughter can help me with a screenshot. Jonah, I don't have any key on my keyboard for stamp - could it be called anything else?

I do a lot of research and sometimes there are things in Google books I'd like to be able to refer to later - so being able to get a copy somehow would be very helpful to me. So now that I have two options to work on figuring out, I'll play with it. Thank you. Puma

[Jonah Hex]

Oh, excuse me, Puma. Try the key "Print Screen" or "Prt Sc" or "Print". Maybe "Stamp" is only for "italian" keyboards.

Excuse me again.

[jdm]

Does anyone remember the Frito Bandito before political correctness decided it was a racist stereotype?

[J'Dubee]

(Think: Cielito Lindo)

"Ay, ay, ay, ay! I am dee Frito Bandito. I like Frito's Corn Chips. I love them, I do. I want Frito's corn chips. I'll take them, from you.
Ay, ay, ay, ay, oh, I am the Frito Bandito. Give me Frito Corn chips and I'll be your friend. The Frito Bandito you must not offend."

I recall the bandido saying he was under investigation by the FBI (Frito Bureau of Investigation)

[texas_girl]

I know it's current use, as the name of a motorcycle gang. Originally from Texas, I believe, with a lot of notoriety in eastern Canada.

I've actually seen the patches, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't an anglicized version of the word.

Thank you so much for your replies everybody!

[Jonah Hex]

Excuse me, texas_girl, who say the word or to whom is it referring? I think this: if the word is referring to someone of Mexican origins, you will can use the word "bandido" (or "desperado"); otherwise, you will can use the word "outlaw". :)

[texas_girl]

It's definitely referring to a Mexican bandit. Another word I've been using is Comanchero since they used to trade with the Comanche.

[texas_girl]

But ... ito (or ita) is the diminutive form in Spanish meaning little. So Bandito is not impossible (and my Spanish dictionary is the only one that's not here at my desk - grrr.) Puma

That's what I was thinking too, Puma! I finally found my Spanish dictionary and it IS bandido, so that's the one I'm going to use for my book. Thanks y'all!

[Cav Guy]

Coming in late, but in period newspapers and the like (say circa 1850 through 1880) they tended to use the term banditti when referring to some outlaws (taken, I suspect, from the Italian). At that point Anglicized spanish terms weren't especially common. Over time that changed, obviously.

And as a footnote, a Comanchero is something different. They were usually of New Mexican origin (although obviously of Mexican background). They ran a traffic of weapons, ammunition and whiskey in one direction and stolen livestock and captives in the other, usually through the Staked Plains. While some of them may have been bandits as well, the two are not automatically the same thing.