Etymology Borrowed from French beaucoup, early 20th century. Popularized by American GIs during the Vietnam War. The pronunciation /ˈbuːkuː/ was influenced by Louisiana French boucoup, a variant.
“I bet the skipper’s been drinkin^([sic]) beaucoup highballs an^([sic]) thinks Brooklyn’s Hoboken.”1925, John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, 3rd section, page 282:
2 more examples
Donlon says, "Well, we're rich and we got beaucoup beer and beaucoup chow. Now all we need is the Bob Hope show."1979, Gustav Hasford, The Short-Timers, New York: Bantam Books, published 1980, →ISBN, page 93:
Then he'd have to be relieved of command. Which you could do, Doctor, but it's beaucoup trouble if you're wrong.1987 November 2, Michael Halperin, Dorothy Catherine Fontana, “Lonely Among Us”, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 1, episode 7, spoken by Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), production code 108:
beaucoup
noun
Etymology Borrowed from French beaucoup, early 20th century. Popularized by American GIs during the Vietnam War. The pronunciation /ˈbuːkuː/ was influenced by Louisiana French boucoup, a variant.
1
An abundance.
Alongside the road with holes in my soul and my shoes / And beaucoups of blues1970, “Beaucoups of Blues”, in Buzz Rabin (lyrics), Beaucoups of Blues, performed by Ringo Starr:
beaucoup
adv
Etymology Borrowed from French beaucoup, early 20th century. Popularized by American GIs during the Vietnam War. The pronunciation /ˈbuːkuː/ was influenced by Louisiana French boucoup, a variant.