Bobbery
intj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A squabble; a tumult; a noisy disturbance. dated
"bobbery: a disturbance."
- 1 Oh dear! Alas! Good lord! obsolete
"Thus the British and Colonial Courts are comparatively empty compared with the Indian Court and jewellery room, which are invariably crowded - so much so that special precautions have to be taken with regard to the latter, only a few being admitted at a time, and they stare at gaudy pictures and glittering jewellery and at the gold brocades and brilliant silks and cloths of their own country and cry "Bapré" or, as it is generally known, "Bobbery," in admiration[.]"
Example
More examples"They’d’ve kick’d up a rale bubbery, and’ve thrown the fat intu the fire in a jump."
Etymology
Uncertain; occurs earliest in British thieves' cant and Chinese Pidgin English, as well as extensively throughout British dialect. In origin, unrelated to the Anglo-Indian exclamation.
Alteration of Hindi बाप रे (bāp re, “O father!”).
Related phrases
More for "bobbery"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.