bodacious (spelling error?) is it slang?

You are not logged in. [Log In] Wordsmith.org » Forums » General Topics » Q&A about words » bodacious (spelling error?) is it slang?

Topic Options

#784 - 03/20/00 04:28 PM bodacious (spelling error?) is it slang?
wolfram2 stranger Registered: 03/20/00 Posts: 1	i have heard this word used numerous times (the first in "An Officer and a Gentleman") and even on a box of cheese straws. it seems to be linked with the southern united states. i have investigated only a little but haven't really found much. does anyone know? do you know the etymology? thanks.
Top

#785 - 03/20/00 06:56 PM Re: bodacious (spelling error?) is it slang?
lusy member Registered: 03/16/00 Posts: 140 Loc: Melbourne, Australia	Thanks for posting this! It sent me off on a fascinating chase through the On-Line-Dictionaries website. All the references found were variations on "amazing, incredible, incorrigible, unrestrained by convention or propriety" and such like. The American Heritage Dictionary confirms the US regional origin and suggests the etymology as a blend of "bold" and "audacious". Another form is apparently "bardacious".
Top

#786 - 03/21/00 06:03 PM Re: bodacious (spelling error?) is it slang?
jackiemw stranger Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 18	To add to above, Harper's Dictionary of Contemporary Usage says bodacious is a dialect term popularized in America in the "Barney Google and Snuffy Smith" comic strip. It means bold, audacious, daring, and arrogant. It may well be a blend of "bold" and "audacious" and originally appeared in British slang centuries ago as boldacious. However, the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary credits the present version as an Americanism.
Top

Previous Topic

Index

Next Topic

Moderator: Jackie

Forum Stats

8419 Members
16 Forums
13684 Topics
209689 Posts

Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM

Newest Members

fgjhgjk, Nora Francis, sabosophie, Lore Lorena, lukaslini
8418 Registered Users

Top Posters (30 Days)

LukeJavan8	86
jenny jenny	67
wofahulicodoc	46
endymion6	43
BranShea	35
Rhubarb Commando	23
Buffalo Shrdlu	19
Faldage	18
zmjezhd	16
Jackie	15

May
Su	M	Tu	W	Th	F	Sa
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.


	Wordsmith Talk		About Us \| What's New \| Search \| Site Map \| Contact Us

Wordsmith Talk