bimbo en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Italian bimbo (“a child, a male baby”), variant of bambino (“child”). Originated in Italian American theater, attested 1919, as “stupid, inconsequential man”, by 1920 developed sense of “floozie, attractive and stupid woman”. Popularized in 1920s by Jack Conway of entertainment magazine Variety, who also popularized baloney (“nonsense”) and palooka (“large stupid man”). Revived in popularity in 1980s US political sex scandals.
Meanings
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(derogatory, slang) A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence.
[Tina] Fey […] makes hay with the thought processes of a purebred bimbo: […]
2004 May 3, Anthony Lane, “Looney Tunes”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 01 Jun 2017:Anyway, to make a long, dull story even duller, I come from a time when a guy like me used to come into a joint like this and pick up a young chick like you and… call her a ‘bimbo’.
[1972, Bernardo Bertolucci, Franco Arcalli, Last Tango in Paris, spoken by Paul (Marlon Brando):a. 1992, P. J. O’Rourke, a sketch A bimbo is a woman who is not pretty enough to be a model, not smart enough to be an actress, and not nice enough to be a poisonous snake.
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(dated, derogatory, slang) A stupid or foolish person.
And one had to remember that most of the bimbos to whom Roberta Wickham had been giving the bird through the years had been of the huntin', shootin' and fishin' type, fellows who had more or less shot their bolt after saying 'Eh, what?' and slapping their leg with a hunting crop.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter III:Who is this bimbo, Barney? Is he a regular customer or what?
2012, Moonrise Kingdom (film)Isn't he the bimbo who took the bread out of the mouths of the Thursday Review people? Chuck the blighter out of the window and we want to see him bounce.
1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter XIII:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bimboes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| bimbos | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
bimbocore · bimbodom · bimbette · mimbo · bimboism · bimboification · thembo · bimboish · bimboy · bimbohood · bimbo eruption · bimbofication · bimboesque · himbo
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (34)
cs trouba (stupid or foolish person) · de Tussi (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu liba (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · es mujer florero (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · de Idiot (stupid or foolish person) · el χαζογκόμενα (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · cs trubec (stupid or foolish person) · fr ravissante idiote (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · pl lalunia (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · de Betthäschen (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · it oca giuliva (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fr andouille (stupid or foolish person) · pl blachara (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu maca (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fi bimbo (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · de Dummkopf (stupid or foolish person) · pl karyna (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fr idiot (stupid or foolish person) · ru фифа (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu tuskó (stupid or foolish person) · cmn 小妞 (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu fajankó (stupid or foolish person) · fr neuneu (stupid or foolish person) · he פרחה (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · bg ки́фла (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · sv bimbo (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu tyúk (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fr couillon (stupid or foolish person) · pl słodka idiotka (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · cs barbína (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fr pitoune (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · hu bunkó (stupid or foolish person) · fr gourde sexy (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence) · fr bimbo (physically attractive woman who lacks intelligence)