bozo
[ boh-zoh ]
/ ˈboʊ zoʊ /
noun, plural bo·zos. Slang.
a fellow, especially a big, strong, stupid fellow.
a rude, obnoxious, or annoying person: Two or three bozos tried to cut in ahead of the rest of us in the supermarket line.
RELATED WORDS
clown, thug, hooligan, fool, harlequin, jester, joker, wag, zany, antic, comedian, comic, kook, goof, bonehead, fanatic, eccentric, nut, crackpot, character
Nearby words
- bozcaada,
- bozeman,
- bozeman's position,
- bozeman-fritsch catheter,
- bozen,
- bozzaris,
- boîte,
- boîte de nuit,
- boötes,
- boğazköy
Origin of bozo
An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
bozo
/ (ˈbəʊzəʊ) /
noun plural -zos
US slang a man, esp a stupid one
Word Origin for bozo
C20: of uncertain origin; perhaps based on beau
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bozo
"muscular low-I.Q. male," c.1910, perhaps from Spanish bozal, used in the slave trade and also to mean "one who speaks Spanish poorly." Bozo the clown was created 1940 at Capitol Records as the voice in a series of story-telling records for children ["Wall Street Journal," Oct. 31, 1983].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper