cheechako

English

Alternative forms

• chechako, chechaquo, cheechaco
• cheechaker

Etymology

Borrowed from Chinook Jargon cheechako.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʃiˈtʃɑ.koʊ/, /tʃiˈtʃɔ.koʊ/, (Alaska, dated) /tʃiˈtʃɑ.kəɹ/, /tʃiˈtʃɔ.kəɹ/

Noun

cheechako (plural cheechakos or cheechakoes)

1. Someone new to Alaska or the Yukon; originally, a gold rush newcomer.
   • 1995, Dana Stabenow, Play with Fire, →ISBN, page 41:

     And now this blonde, from Outside no loess, the rawest of cheechakos, the most innocent of Alaskan naifs, a literal babe in the woods, had asked a few simple questions and gotten the whole story, all of it, simply and succinctly and more, gotten it without attitude or resentment.

Synonyms

• tenderfoot
• greenhorn

Antonyms

• sourdough

Chinook Jargon

Etymology

From Chinook čxi (“straightaway”) +‎ Nootka čokwaa (“come!”).

Noun

cheechako

1. newcomer, stranger