Fidalgo was a common Portuguese (and Goan) term that is likely faded in post-colonial Goa. Fidalgo (Portuguese filho de algo—equivalent to nobleman, but sometimes literally translated into English as "son of somebody" or son of some important family) —is a traditional title of Portuguese nobility that refers to a member of the titled or untitled nobility. The title was abolished after the overthrow of the Monarchy in 1910. From Wikipedia. Yet the term widely hung around in Goa till 1960's. Fidalgos (and its Spanish equivalent Hidalgos) were seen in many villages as member(s) of the lowest ranking nobility. The fidalgos often had only a very small income from land rents - and sometimes no income at all. Yet they disdained active work except for the traditional service to the state and the church. Conditions varied from village to village and from individual to individual. Often, they proved the truth of Cervantes portrait - "a class addicted to genteel impoverishment clinging to anachronistic chivalric values." How some Goans still wish they could claim the title of fidalgo! The modern version of the fidalgo are self-appointed critics of everything under the sun, with little personal accomplishment to show for their own smarts.
Regards, GL
