bozo

[boh-zoh]

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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.

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

Related Words for bozo

clown, thug, hooligan, fool, harlequin, jester, joker, wag, zany, antic, comedian, comic, bozo, kook, goof, bonehead, fanatic, eccentric, nut, crackpot

British Dictionary definitions for bozo

bozo

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

Word Origin and History for 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].