bimbo
nounUK /ˈbɪmbəʊ/ · US /ˈbɪmboʊ/
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.
1
Derogatory, Slang A physically attractive person, typically a woman or otherwise feminine in appearance, who lacks intelligence.
- 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.
1 more example
- [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:
2
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:
- 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:
1 more example
- Who is this bimbo, Barney? Is he a regular customer or what?2012, Moonrise Kingdom (film)
- Derived terms
- bimbette, bimbocore, bimbodom, bimbo eruption, bimboesque, bimbofication, bimbohood, bimboish, bimboism, bimboy, himbo, mimbo, thembo
- Related terms
- bambino