Dictionary

opera bouffe en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌɒp(ə)ɹəˈbuːf/ (UK)

Etymology

From French opéra bouffe.

Meanings

1. (attributive, countable, often, uncountable) A type of French comic opera, typified by everyday characters and ludicrous situations.
   • There was one moment of opéra bouffe when the plump Biaggi and two other plotters were trapped in an antique Parisian lift between floors on the way to a top-level and secret meeting. 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 176:
   • He sang solos from "La Grande Duchesse," and many other opera-bouffe songs, with great taste and verve. 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 144:

Forms