bizarro

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

Variant ofbizarre,equivalent tobizarre+‎-o;see that entry for more information. In the sense of “logical inverse”, derived via the comic book characterBizarro,an inverted version ofSupermanfrom a planet where “good” means “bad” and so on, and popularized by "The Bizarro Jerry",a 1996 episode of the sitcomSeinfeld.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

bizarro(comparativemorebizarro,superlativemostbizarro)

  1. (colloquial)Alternative form ofbizarre.
    • 1988,Daniel Moreau,In Death We Trust,page80:
      "So you found a cow?" Alison mocked his discovery. "That'sbizarro,you know. "
    • 2018,Kieran Shea,Koko Uncaged:
      "Man," Hesketh said, "that'sbizarro.One second they're there, and the next nothing.
  2. (informal,humorous)Being theoppositeor logicalinverseof a familiar person, place, or situation.
    • 2010,Robin Wasserman,Candy Apple #25: Wish You Were Here, Liza,Scholastic Inc.,→ISBN,page23:
      In some alternate,bizarrouniverse, there was probably abizarroKirsten who was totally awesome.BizarroKirsten gavebizarroDillie andbizarroLiza awesome makeovers and awesome advice and let them stay up after hours eating awesome snacks and watching awesome late-night TV.
    • 2013,Andrew Shaw-Kitch,Structure, Seinfeld, and Play,Lulu.com,→ISBN:
      This then leads to Elaine's entrance into what Jerry describes as a “Bizarroworld,” citing the Superman concept, in which all of the facets of the show as we know it, especially its principle[sic]characters, are reproduced in some way backward.
    • 2010,Gershon Hepner,Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel,Peter Lang,→ISBN,page618:
      Egypt is aBizarro-Canaan, looking as Canaan might look seen through Alice's looking glass. It shows the Judeans how a country should not be run.
    • 2012,Danny Katch,America's Got Democracy: The Making of the World's Longest-Running Reality Show,Haymarket Books,→ISBN:
      When the occupation began, Jon Stewart called it “theBizarroTea Party,” which is funny because it's the Tea Party—billionaires organizing mad-as-hell rallies against working-class programs—that is abizarroversion of a genuine grassroots protest movement.
  3. (literature)Pertaining tobizarro fiction.
    • 2010,Caris O'Malley,The Egg Said Nothing,Caris O'Malley,→ISBN,page97:
      An incredibly fucked-up parody of B-horror movies with abizarroslant.

Noun

[edit]

bizarro(countableanduncountable,pluralbizarros)

  1. weirdo,misfit
    Synonyms:kook,odd duck,wacko;see alsoThesaurus:strange person
    • 1997,Harold Schechter,The Manly Movie Guide,Boulevard,→ISBN:
      Often described as "the Citizen Kane of dismemberment movies," this cult-movie masterpiece set the standards for the "bizarros-who-turn-their-home-into-a-human-slaughterhouse "horror genre.
    • 2008,Cindy Gerard,Whisper No Lies,Simon and Schuster,→ISBN,page 1:
      Showgirl breasts and round hips that swayed to a sultry beat when she walked and drew heartbreakers andbizarrosfrom the four corners of the earth.
    • 2009,Martin Drapkin,Now and at the Hour,Dog Ear Publishing,→ISBN,page 1:
      BOOM!, he can't walk, can't talk, he's in a ward at a state institution with thirty retardedbizarros,many of them bizzare[sic][…]
  2. (uncountable)Bizarro fiction.
    • 2006,Carlton Mellick, Jeremy Robert Johnson,The Bizarro Starter Kit: An Introduction to the Bizarro Genre,→ISBN:
      Bizarrois literature's equivalent to the cult section at the video store.
    • 2006,Gina Ranalli,Chemical Gardens,→ISBN:
      Bizarroisn't really a new genre. Just a new term.
    • 2009December 11, Alison Flood, “When authors attack”, inThe Guardian‎[1]:
      Not only does it centre on the dire-sounding romance novel, Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller (product description: "When a handsome yet stuffy intergalactic cop is forced to enter the Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller competition, and is partnered with an Earth cop as his manager and overseer, hilarity and romance ensue" ), but it takes thebizarroquotient to new levels.

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

Portuguese

[edit]

Etymology

[edit]

Either fromFrenchbizarre(“strange”, “odd”, “peculiar”),orItalianbizzarro.

Pronunciation

[edit]

Adjective

[edit]

bizarro(femininebizarra,masculine pluralbizarros,feminine pluralbizarras)

  1. bizarre,strange,odd
  2. exotic

Spanish

[edit]
FWOTD – 17 December 2012

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • IPA(key):(Spain)/biˈθaro/[biˈθa.ro]
  • IPA(key):(Latin America, Philippines)/biˈsaro/[biˈsa.ro]
  • Rhymes:-aro
  • Syllabification:bi‧za‧rro

Etymology 1

[edit]

Presumably from the same source asbizarre,which may beBasquebizardun(“bearded”),frombizar(“beard”),or fromItalianbizzarro,further etymology unknown. SeeEnglishbizarrefor more.

Adjective

[edit]

bizarro(femininebizarra,masculine pluralbizarros,feminine pluralbizarras)

  1. dashing,brave,spirited,gallant
    Synonym:valiente
  2. generous,magnanimous,noble
    • January 3rd, 1832,NecrologiaGaceta de Madrid, Imprenta Real,page 98:
      [...]; y conociendo su posición se fortaleció con los auxilios de la religión, ostentando hasta en su último aliento la resignación de un buen cristiano, y espirando como el hombre de bien, y con la serenidad de unbizarromilitar.
      [...]; and knowing his position he strengthened himself with the aid of religion, flaunting in his last breath the resignation of a good Christian, and expiring as the good man, and with the serenity of anoblesoldier.
    Synonym:generoso

Etymology 2

[edit]

Semantic loanfromEnglishbizarre.

Adjective

[edit]

bizarro(femininebizarra,masculine pluralbizarros,feminine pluralbizarras)

  1. (colloquial,proscribed)bizarre,strange,weird
    Synonym:extraño

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=bizarro&oldid=81929293"