Sunday, February 7, 2021

Boffo?

From a New York Times article about Marjorie Taylor Green:

She’s the latest descendant in a lineage of Republican women who embrace a boffo radicalism, who delight in making trouble and in causing offense.
Boffo ? The word hardly fits. Merriam-Webster : “extremely successful : sensational.” The Oxford English Dictionary: “Of a laugh: uproarious, unrestrained, hearty. Of a joke, act, show, etc.: uproariously or boisterously funny, hilarious.”

I suspect that boffo might have replaced a word an editor deemed less tactful. Perhaps gonzo ? Or bonkers ?

comments: 4

Daughter Number Three said...

I know it's a cliché but the only time I can remember hearing "boffo" used is with the word "box office."

Michael Leddy said...

I was hoping the first OED citation would be from Variety.

Pete said...

Or batshit insane.

Michael Leddy said...

That’s clarity itself. :)