boo-boo

See also: bubo, booboo, and boo boo

English

Alternative forms

• booboo, boo boo

Etymology

• Possibly from bug-a-boo, an imaginary evil goblin.
• Possibly from bubo, a swollen lymph node especially obvious in sufferers of bubonic plague.
• Possibly from the sound a baby or young toddler might make.
• Possibly borrowed from French bobo (“boo-boo”)

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈbuːˌbuː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

boo-boo (countable and uncountable, plural boo-boos)

1. (countable, colloquial, often childish) A mistake or error.

   Synonyms: blooper, blunder, misstep, fluff, oopsy, slip; see also Thesaurus:error

2. (countable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) A minor injury, such as a cut or a bruise.

   Synonyms: owie, scrape, bruise, nick, scratch; see also Thesaurus:injury

3. (uncountable, colloquial, childish, by or to young children) Feces.

   Synonyms: (childish) boom-boom, (childish) doo-doo, (childish) poo; see also Thesaurus:feces

   • 2015, “Hood Politics”, performed by Kendrick Lamar:

     I been A-1 since day one, you niggas boo-boo
     Your home boy, your block that you're from, boo-boo
     Lil' hoes you went to school with, boo-boo
     Baby mama and your new bitch, boo-boo

Usage notes

(injury): Sometimes used sarcastically regarding overreaction to a very minor injury, as in "Aw, did the little boy get a boo-boo?" or "Aw, need me to kiss your boo-boo?"

Translations

minor injury

• Basque: pupu (eu)
• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: pipi (fi)
• French: bobo (fr)
• German: Wehweh n
• Hungarian: bibi (hu)
• Italian: bua (it) f
• Portuguese: dodói (pt)
• Russian: бо-бо (ru) (bo-bo)
• Spanish: yaya (es) f (Chile, Cuba, Peru), pupa (es) f

Verb

boo-boo (third-person singular simple present boo-boos, present participle boo-booing, simple past and past participle boo-booed)

1. (colloquial, childish) To make a mistake.
   • 1952, The Ferroequinologist: A Journal for Students of the Iron Horse‎^[1]:

     We boo-booed in giving the address of California Electric Railway Enthusiasts, and we realized it while mailing the last issue. Correct address is […]

   • 1999, Dan Gookin, Word 2000 For Dummies‎^[2]:

     If you do this and feel that you have boo-booed, press Shift+F5, the Go Back keyboard shortcut, to return from whence you came (that is, back to your previous edit).

2. (colloquial, childish, by or to young children) To defecate.

   Synonyms: (childish) poo; see also Thesaurus:defecate

   • 1974, The Southeastern Reporter‎^[3]:

     I went upstairs and Joseph, my husband, he came upstairs and found some boo boo on the floor. My little girl boo booed on herself downstairs as I was getting ready to clean her up.

   • 2012, Carolyn Herring-Moore, When Enough is Enough: When You’re Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, Xlibris, →ISBN, page unknown:

     “Ya know, I don't know what is wrong with my stomach. I must have eaten something spoiled at the job. I was at a customer's home climbing a pole, and I started boo-booing on myself. I got off the pole and took some of the leaves to wipe my butt. Man, that's a horrible feeling.”

   • 2012, Reginald Killings, I Am Drama City: Trust, Love, Loyalty Is All We Know, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 34:

     I'm still going through so much shock. I can't go through all this. My stomach is rumbling. I have to use the restroom so bad. I was about to boo boo on myself but I remembered what the nurse told me the earlier.

   • 2017, /u/thesnakeinthegarden, “Oh god. Donna Brazile opened her mouth again.”, in Reddit‎^[4]:

     We didn't start demonizing Socialists until the 50s when everyone boo-booed they pants about communist russia.

   • 2017, /u/Dwelld, “What was the worst situation you have crapped your pants?”, in Reddit‎^[5]:

     Imagine a little kid in a big ass button down coat sitting in a car and then just saying I boo booed on myself.

See also

• na-na na-na boo-boo