Dictionary

boyo en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɔɪ.əʊ/ (UK)
• /ˈbɔɪ.oʊ/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō- Proto-West Germanic *bōjō Old English *bōia Middle English boye English boy Latin ō Old French ohbor. Middle English o English O English oh English -o English boyo From boy + -o.

Meanings

1. (Ireland) A boy or lad.
2. (derogatory, sometimes) A stereotypically Welsh form of address for a man, usually younger than the speaker.
   • ‘This, er, initiator of polonium and lithium, would it be used in an anti-personnel bomb?’ he asked. ‘Oh yes, you could say so, boyo,’ replied the Welshman. 1984, Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol, London: Hutchinson, →ISBN, page 301:
   • “What brings you around, boyo?” Deane asked, offering Case a narrow bonbon wrapped in blue-and-white checked paper. 1984, William Gibson, Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 13:
   • “You’re crazy boyo!” Taffy gaped at his shipmate’s rosy cheeks, their hugh brightened by the Canadian blasts. “Now, what in the bloody hell were you doing out there boyo?” 2006, Francis Kerr Young, Hang on a Second!, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 210:
   • “Can’t get onboard the boat,” Dai finished for me. “Bloody typical, it is, boyo.” 1980, Tristan Jones, “Down the Old Kent Road”, in Adrift, Sheridan House, Inc, published 1992, →ISBN, page 73:
   • “Don't be daft, boyo. First chance I get, and I'm skipping!” 1968 February 10, Mervyn Haisman, “The Web of Fear (2)”, in Doctor Who, season 5, episode 24, spoken by Driver Evans (Derek Pollitt), production code QQ:
   • A taff is a Welshman. Everyone in the doctors’ mess calls me taff or taffy. Mr Swain, the mortuary attendant, calls me boyo, especially during the rugby season when Wales lose badly. 1995, Peter Ho Davies, “The Ugliest House in the World”, in The Ugliest House in the World: Stories, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, published 2003, →ISBN, page 4:

Forms