foo-foo

See also: foo foo, foofoo, FooFoo, and fufú

English

Etymology 1

Noun

foo-foo (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of fufu.
   • 1958, Chinua Achebe, chapter 11, in Things Fall Apart, New York: Astor-Honor, published 1959:

     Ezinma and her mother sat on a mat on the floor after their supper of yam foo-foo and bitter-leaf soup.

   • 1991, Elechi Amadi, The concubine, page 45:

     There was so much fish and meat in the soup that they had to put them on a separate plate, to facilitate the free movement of their balls of foo-foo in the soup

   • 2007, Elphinstone Dayrell, Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria, page 35:

     The king, however, refused to do this; but as he was rather sorry for the tortoise, he said he would present him with a magic foo-foo tree, which would the tortoise and his family with food, […] Every day it dropped foo-foo and soup on the ground.

Etymology 2

Possibly a simplified form of frou-frou.

Alternative forms

• foo foo, foofoo

Adjective

foo-foo (comparative more foo-foo, superlative most foo-foo)

1. Synonym of frou-frou.
   • 2007 May 7, Robert R. Harris, “Book Review: The Joy of Drinking”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 April 2020:

     Holland, who lives in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, certainly doesn't end with recipes for foo-foo drinks. She provides hints on making your own spirits, like applejack and elderberry wine, and instructions for building, yes, a still.

   • 2014 March 16, Kathleen Clary Miller, “My Turn: iPhone as OCD treatment”, in Los Angeles Times‎, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 November 2023:

     Most iPhone owners have one so they can access all the foo-foo features and elevate their self-esteem and feel oh so trendy doing so.

   • 2019 September 12, Gene Weingarten, “Gene Weingarten: Who said you have to sort the silverware, anyway?”, in The Washington Post‎, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 September 2019:

     Change your wardrobe so it is all earth shades: salmon, tans, umber, ocher, sienna, chestnut, khaki, russet, taupe, ecru, biscuit, camel, etc. This is not because you love these foo-foo colors. It is because you have stopped the idiot sorting of laundry by whites and colors, and over time they will all migrate to this bland but safe middle ground. Small loss.

See also

• foo-foo band