beaucoup adj, n, adv Freq beaucoups Pronc-spp bogoobs, boocoo(s), bookoo(s) [Fr beaucoup much, a great deal] chiefly Sth See Map Cf boocoodles n
Many, much; an abundance, a lot; in abundance, galore.
1918 Cleveland Plain Dealer (OH) 9 June 11/2, When the bayoneting Buckeyes aern’t [sic] blemishing bloated boche bellies . . , they are banging beaucoup baseball behind backwoods billet backstops. 1919 Grand Rapids Press (MI) 10 Jan 15/3, I’ve seen bookoo bombardments and barrages, but I never heard a prettier one than opened up at 4:35 that morning. 1929 AmSp 4.357, If you wish to boast of having a great deal of money, you may speak of . . being filthy or lousy with money. Beaucoup jack is a survival of the war. 1930 AmSp 5.382 [Armed forces in Europe], Bookoo (beaucoup). Abundance. 1958 AmSp 33.225 [Jazz musicians’ argot], A considerable amount of anything is bogoobs (e.g., ‘It’s a mickey band, but there’s bogoobs bread’), quite obviously from beaucoup. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. U37, . . Plenty of money) Inf VT16, Money beaucoup; (Qu. U38a, . . A great deal of money: “He’s got _____ [of money].”) Infs AL27, DC11, LA3, NC68, PA199, 228, TX72, 89, Beaucoup; FL8, GA1, 9, VA42, Beaucoups; GA9, 89, SC43, Boocoos; (Qu. LL8a, A large amount or number: more than enough—for example, of time: “He’s got _____ of time.”) 10 Infs, chiefly Sth, Boocoos; AR52, LA35, VA34, Beaucoup (time); TX72, Boocoo; (Qu. LL9a, As much as you need or more—for example, of apples: “We’ve got _____ of apples.”) Infs GA84, 89, LA3, 32, TX33, VT16, Boocoos; LA35, 37, TX81, Beaucoup; LA11, Boocoo. 1967 DARE FW Addit cLA, Boocoo [ˈbuˌku]. “She’s got money boocoo.” 1970 Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 30, Boo koos: a large quantity of anything. 1980 DARE File Madison WI, Heard in conversation with a native of Madison: “It’s obvious he has boocoo money.” 1982 Ibid neLA, Boo coo’s—lots of. . . I use it regularly. 2005 New Yorker 19 Sept 40 seLA, “I just saw beaucoup buses that said ‘Brooklyn via Tillary,’ ” Jahia said.