There are a number of different legends/theories regarding of the meaning of "Kemosabe" (the name Tonto called the Lone Ranger). One that I always found particularly humorous is that, like "Tonto," it was derived from Spanish and is actually the phrase "Quien no sabe" spoken quickly and run together to sound like a single word. Quien no sabe literally translates as "He who doesn't know." So, essentially, the Lone Ranger was calling Tonto foolish and Tonto was calling the Lone Ranger ignorant. (And Fran Striker, the series creator and writer, is eternally laughing in his grave at his clever little private joke.)jerryd6818 wrote:I was going to say "I do like it Kemosabe" but when I was checking to make sure I had Kemosabe (or Kemo Sabe) spelled correctly, I found this.
"In Navajo, on the other hand, “kemosabe” translates as “soggy shrub.” If this seems an odd thing for faithful friend Tonto to call the Lone Ranger, perhaps he was just repaying the Ranger's long-standing insult. “Tonto,” after all, is a Spanish word meaning “fool.”
Jul 2, 2011" (Please don't call me Tonto)
~Q~
