Reid© wrote:
Following up to Gerry


Care to educate us as to what the literary usage implies?


Please! Until I joined this group I had never heard the term and
I have never heard a European use it. What does it refer to?

It in reference to the book published in 1958 titled The Ugly American,
by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer.

Basically it's a collection of short stories set after World War 2 in a
fictitious Southeast Asian country. The underlining theme of which is
about Americans abroad while trying to do help, end up being stymied in
their efforts by their own ignorance of the culture and language of the
country they are in.

ALV