Goo-goo
adj, intj, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A Filipino person. derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slur, vulgar
- 2 A government reformer. US, derogatory
"Stinging Rebuke Administered to Bald Attempt to Grab City; Goo-Goo Clique Swept Off Their Feet by Landslide Against Municipal Freak"
- 1 Amorous, affectionate. slang, usually
"I wants to ask one question now, please let me call you dear, It cost a lot to gain a rep. But I’ll blow the road right here, if you’ll be mine, if you’ll be mine, Just because you makes them goo-goo eyes"
- 1 The noise of a baby trying to imitate speech. onomatopoeic
Example
More examples"Stinging Rebuke Administered to Bald Attempt to Grab City; Goo-Goo Clique Swept Off Their Feet by Landslide Against Municipal Freak"
Etymology
First attested circa 1899, in US military slang, probably from American soldiers during the Philippine-American War hearing Tagalog gago (“idiot; fool; simpleton”) and Tagalog gaga (“female idiot; female fool”) and considering it to sound like babbling (goo goo ga ga). Possibly influenced by goo-goo eyes, which "was in vogue c. 1900 and may have contributed to this somehow" since early uses of goo-goo and gook refer specifically to prostitutes who followed army camps. See also gook.
From good government. Attested from the 1890s.
Uncertain; perhaps from goggle. Attested from 1900.
Related phrases
More for "goo-goo"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.