boogaloo
/ˈbuɡəˌlu/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A genre of music that blends rhythm and blues and soul music with Cuban-style rhythms, originating in the United States in the 1960s.
Uncountable
noun
A type of freestyle, improvisational street dance incorporating soulful steps and robotic movements, originally danced to funk and disco, but later more commonly to hip-hop.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A sequel or repetition of events, etc. Often used to mock a lack of creativity.
Countable; Humorous; Uncountable
noun
A hypothetical second American Civil War, in which far-right or antigovernment activists rise up against the government.
American usage; Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Most hip Gothamites now trying to get rhythmic understanding between arms, legs and sacroiliac in order to get in on the Boogaloo dance craze."
- "Fania did not begin as a boogaloo label but it was also quick to sign new, previously unheralded talent, including Bobby Valentin, George Guzman, Monguito Santamaria, Joe Bataan and the teenage Willie Colon."
- "Basie played boogie-woogie, and Ellington boleros and boogaloos. To see the Marsalis faction rap a standard or breakdance before the blues would bring them full-circle, in full embrace, […]"
- "They enjoy a martini or a boogaloo in bachelorette apartments in unnamed cities. These album covers plant the seeds for my growing taste for camp and for my use of music as a space for dreaming up new selves."
- "“Felix, I—” “Kate, come on,” he begged. “We're a team, sleuth times two, boogaloo. We can do it.”"
- "Electric boogaloo meme"
Etymology
Attested as a style of dance since at least January 1966 (and found in the titles of many songs around that time), perhaps from boogie (for the ending, compare crackaloo, hullabaloo). (Compare Spanish bugalú, the Spanish name for the style of music and dance.) Kent Harris used the stage name "Boogaloo" in the 1950s. The sense "sequel or repetition" refers to the title of Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984), a sequel which was considered to be so bad it became a cult classic. Compare the sense "black person" to boogalee, a term for a Cajun, attested since 1960 or earlier.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbuɡəˌlu/
- British English: /ˈbuːɡəˌluː/