Goombah, sometimes spelled goomba, is a term for Italian-Americans that’s sometimes used disparagingly. Physicians use the same word for the blobs on CT scans indicating a possible tumor, but this sense probably derives from the evil mushrooms in Super Mario Bros., known as goombas. The game was released in 1986, right about the same time that doctors picked up the term. This is part of a complete episode.
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Hello Grant and Martha, I am from Holland and I love to listen to your show! But seeing as Super Mario Bros. has an Italian theme, isn’t it possible that those Goombas were actually named after the American-Italian slang word? Seeing as this is a re-broadcast, maybe this comment has already been made and addressed by you. If so, I apologize!