bobo

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small hurt, owie, bobo, bourgeois bohemian, bobo
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An informal label for something minor or for a comfortable urban culture that presents itself as unconventional.

Examples

  • Le journal parle d'un électorat urbain et bobo.
    The newspaper describes an urban, bobo electorate.
  • Elle a mis un pansement sur le bobo de son fils.
    She put a bandage on her son's sore.
  • Ils ont ouvert une épicerie bobo près du canal.
    They opened a bobo grocery shop near the canal.
  • Le petit s'est fait un bobo au genou.
    The little boy hurt his knee.
  • Elle évite le mot bobo, qu'elle trouve trop caricatural.
    She avoids the word bobo, which she finds too caricatural.

Similar words

bosse
bourgeois-bohème
gentrifié
urbain aisé
égratignure
branché
bourgeois progressiste
petit mal
petite blessure
bleu

Meanings

A small hurt

noun
health
informal
A minor pain or injury, especially in child-directed speech, often said to comfort someone and show that it is not serious.

Examples

  • Le petit s'est fait un bobo au genou.
    The little boy hurt his knee.
  • Montre-moi ton bobo, je vais le nettoyer.
    Show me your sore, and I will clean it.
  • Ce n'est qu'un petit bobo, rien de grave.
    It is only a little hurt, nothing serious.
  • Elle a mis un pansement sur le bobo de son fils.
    She put a bandage on her son's sore.
  • Après sa chute, il avait quelques bobos aux bras.
    After his fall, he had a few minor injuries on his arms.

Similar words

A bourgeois-bohemian person

noun
society
informal
An affluent, educated city-dweller associated with progressive views and environmental concerns. The label is often teasing or critical because it reduces a person to a social stereotype.

Examples

  • Ce quartier attire de plus en plus de bobos.
    This neighbourhood attracts more and more bourgeois bohemians.
  • On le décrit comme un bobo parisien.
    He is described as a Parisian bobo.
  • Elle se dit écologiste, mais refuse l'étiquette de bobo.
    She calls herself an environmentalist but rejects the bobo label.
  • Le café est devenu le rendez-vous des bobos du quartier.
    The café has become a meeting place for the neighbourhood's bobos.
  • Le mot bobo peut sonner moqueur quand il réduit quelqu'un à son milieu social.
    The word bobo can sound mocking when it reduces someone to their social background.

Similar words

Linked to bourgeois-bohemian culture

adjective
society
informal
Associated with the affluent, urban, progressive lifestyle called bourgeois-bohemian, often with a mildly mocking or critical tone.

Examples

  • Ils ont ouvert une épicerie bobo près du canal.
    They opened a bobo grocery shop near the canal.
  • Le quartier est devenu très bobo en dix ans.
    The neighbourhood has become very bourgeois-bohemian in ten years.
  • Cette décoration un peu bobo mélange objets anciens et design moderne.
    This slightly bobo decor mixes old objects with modern design.
  • Le journal parle d'un électorat urbain et bobo.
    The newspaper describes an urban, bobo electorate.
  • Elle évite le mot bobo, qu'elle trouve trop caricatural.
    She avoids the word bobo, which she finds too caricatural.

Similar words

Etymology

The injury sense is a child-language sound word attested since the 15th century. The social sense shortens the English expression bourgeois bohemian, rendered in French as bourgeois-bohème.

FAQ

What does bobo mean in French?

It usually means a small hurt in child-directed speech or an affluent urban person linked with progressive and environmental values.

Is bobo masculine or feminine?

The small-hurt noun is masculine. For a person, bobo can refer to a man or a woman without changing form.

What is the plural of bobo?

The regular plural is bobos.

Is bobo insulting?

The injury sense is affectionate. The social label is often teasing or critical and can feel dismissive when applied to a person.

Where does bobo come from?

The injury sense comes from child language, while the social label shortens bourgeois bohemian or French bourgeois-bohème.

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