In the time in which the novel is set, Guinea was an offensive term in American English for an Italian-American. Romantic is an adjective which you can look up in a dictionary.

Interested in Language
Hi everyone!
I've just started to read "The Godfather" and faced with unclear phrase. This is a peace of the text in order to understand the context:
Johnny Fontane got up. He hated the woman on the floor but her beauty was a magicshield. Margot rolled away, and in a dancer's spring was on her feet facing him. Shewent into a childish mocking dance and chanted, “Johnny never hurt me, Johnny neverhurt me.” Then almost sadly with grave beauty she said, “You poor silly bastard, givingme cramps like a kid. Ah, Johnny, you always will be a dumb romantic guinea, you evenmake love like a kid. You still think screwing is really like those dopey songs you used tosing."...
What does "romantic guinea" mean? I understood it sounds offensive and with contempt.
I do know a guinea can refer whether to the African country or coin. What about another meanings?
Thank you in advance
Last edited by emsr2d2; 03-Sep-2017 at 14:31. Reason: Repaired quotation marks problem (coding/cut and pasting)
In the time in which the novel is set, Guinea was an offensive term in American English for an Italian-American. Romantic is an adjective which you can look up in a dictionary.
I am not a teacher.
Remember - if you don't use correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing, anything you write will be incorrect.