oompa loompa
/ˈuːmpə ˈluːmpə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.96 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of the fictional pygmies who manufacture candy in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
noun
A person appearing orange from fake tanning, resembling the appearance of Oompa Loompas in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
noun
A dwarf, little person, short person.
Example Sentences
- "Dr. Evil: Is he giving off too much of a creepy Umpa Lumpa vibe? / What’s wrong, Mini-Me?"
- "Nobody, not even an Umpa Lumpa, had warned me what would happen to a blind guy who refuses to close his eyes."
- "It could be worse, but I've learned to become invisible to Machiavellian dilettantes, faux radical Satanistas, and bloodsucking Oompa-Loompas of the painfully ordinary variety."
- "[Referring to the male member] It's not one of the Muppets or an Umpa Lumpa."
- "Don’t be afraid to write your name in the books and on the pans that were yours before you found yourself sharing a studio apartment that would normally not be big enough for an Oompa-Loompa."
- "Nevertheless, some subtle market forces are at work which pressure the canny shopkeeper into giving up valuable shelf space to the contents of an Oompa Loompa’s cocktail cabinet."
Etymology
Coined by British author Roald Dahl. Apparently a fanciful formation in line with whimsical English words like fuzzy-wuzzy, Humpty Dumpty, etc. Perhaps reminiscent of "exotic" ethnonyms to Westerners; Roald Dahl spent time in Tanganyika, East Africa. Also compare oom-pah (genre of German folk music); the Oompa Loompas dance to quirky, rhythmic songs.