Are You in a Bromance with a Himbo?
In any language, new words appear all the time, and sometimes just for a short time. I’ve come across some new words recently to describe men and their friendships. Fortunately, these are not too difficult to figure out, because they simply combine two words that formerly (before) didn’t go together. Let’s take a look at two of these.
BROMANCE (bro + romance = bromance)
The word bro is short for brother, and is used as an informal greeting, usually between two men. For example, when Jeff sees his friend, he might say, “Hey bro, how’s it going?” This is very informal and typically used among younger people to greet good friends. You use “bro” in a similar way to “man” and “dude,” as in: “Hey man, where have you been?” or “Hey dude, good to see you!”
“Bro” is now a little dated (old-fashioned) and we don’t hear it as much anymore.
Romance is the feeling of excitement between two people in love. When we put “bro” and “romance” together to get “bromance,” we are referring to two heterosexual (men who like women and women who like men) men who have deep feelings of admiration and friendship with one another. We can say that these two men are buddies, a more common word, meaning that they are very good friends who probably spend a lot of time together.
The term bromance is often jokingly used to refer to two men who spend so much time together and like each other so much that their relationship is like a traditional romance, where the two people who are in love want to be together all the time. We might say, “Jeff is always over at Warren’s house after work. Is there a bromance between them?”
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HIMBO (him + bimbo = himbo)
A bimbo is a negative and insulting term for a woman who is young and attractive, but who is not smart, and may be a little too interested in men. Some may call the characters that Marilyn Monroe played in movies bimbos.
We put “him” together with “bimbo” to get “himbo.” A himbo, then, is a man who is attractive, but not very smart. The stereotype (a generally-believed, but too simple idea) of male models is that they are himbos, though I’m sure that’s not true.
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What do we call a bromance between two himbos? A “himbromance”? A “brobomance?” I don’t want to think about it. I’ll leave it to the gossip magazines!
~ Lucy
November 10th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Very curious how a language can be twisted, in spanish we have also many words in the same sense… e.g. in Venezuela we called good friends “pana” which comes from “partners”, and nowdays some people (mainly young and low educated) used the word “parroquia” which is equivalent to the word “district” or “county”, which has similar meaning than”pana” to express friendship, we also use the word “brother” but spelling and pronounce “broder” for friendship
Other word is “watchman” we use the word “guachiman” for the people who works as watchmen
Shakespeare and Cervantes should be turning around in their graves…
Rodrigo
Venezula
November 10th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Undoubtedly, Rodrigo, they both have to feel so, Cervantes and Shakespeare, because, what a terrible mess!
If somebody told me that a couple of close friends are having a bromance, I would either think that he is joking at me or run to look into the dictionary the word, and in this case I could not find it. It is crazy!
But it is so and we have to learn such new words, so that thank you so much, Dr. Jeff and Dr. Lucy, for letting us know at least a bunch of them.
Best regards from Spain,
Julio (Jack).-
November 10th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Come on Lucy .
Give me a break . I am doing some modeling here with the com pictures and everything, and I m not a himbo. I have two degrees for God sake.
November 10th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I think that to call bimbo a woman or a man who are attractive and young is just a topic, or what is worst a way of gossiping by the ones that are not so young or attractive and say that they are not smart.
Doing so people that are ugly or not so attractive feel themselves better if they think or say that the attractive ones are silly or not smart.
Is Sharon Stone, one of the most beatiful woman in many years, not smart?. I don´t think so.
I read once that she has one of the most high level of inteligence a person may have.
And Angelina Joly? or Judy Foster?.
What about Robert Redford or Paul Newman?.
About Marilyn I do not say anything as I really love her for ever.
Too many bla bla bla about her intelligence but there has not been any other just like her.
She is unique doing her roles despite so many imitations after she pass away.
The new words are really expressive and funny, but I don´t think they last long, as Lucy said wisely, so Julio don´t worry about them.
By the way, who is the man of the photo?. Is he a bimbo or not? …yes I know, it´s a stupid question as nobody can guess it.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Yes Lucy, you are right about roles of Marilyn and other nice blondies in the movies, we stupid men like to be always in high position respect you women. So for us stupid men is very nice and quite charming a beautiful woman that looks silly and seems that she likes the man despite he is ugly but he is much more clever than her either.
Looking the movies we, the stupid and ugly men, feel so good that we buy the tickets for the movies easily.
But Marilyn didn´t make so much movies that way, I can remember only two or three and she was always great doing her plays also singing
with a warm and sensual voice.
Respect to the “bimbo” more or less the same, fake of course, but it is easy to think that these nice boys are also stupid and only have bodies.
In this case for the women that can´t have them and for the men who have not so good look or date much more less than the “bimbo” did.
I agree with you about this steriotype that have not to be true at all.
Inteligence or being smart have nothing to do with nice or good looking, I think.
As we say here in my country is only “envidia podrida” ( rotten envy) or inferiority complex what is even worst.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Bromance first use I believe 2 or 3 years ago in a magazine or a TVshow,but today I came across “Friegthenfest.” I dont know if it is a made up word or a new word.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
My guess is The word Himbo refers to male modles who do high fashion. There are two kinds of fashions
November 11th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Makeshift words invade every language but not in the same volume that they appear in English Language.I believe ,English is the language of words that are mostly difficult to memorise.Good thing is the majority of these phony expressions don’t stick around forever .They mostly appear, say for a decade work their way to become a hip and then vanish into thin air as fast as they appeared.So,why bother wrecking our brains memorising them ,where as, there are tons of fundamental concepts out there each capable of changing substantially the way we represent ourselves.I have heard lots of these lousy so-called words ,but never ever committed to them. I don’t want to grind on and on ,all I am saying is :as far as English Language concern, there are lots of more important issues to deal with than getting all fascinated by a bunch of faddish words. Don’t let these groundless words turn into a way of ruinning The language of Shakespear.
Sorry for the boorish comment; I know you feel me
Peace out
November 11th, 2009 at 10:57 am
More or less I think the same like you Peter, but it´s always interesting or funny to have some idea of the new terms that are in use.
Yes, may be useless to learn all of them but it depends of the knowledge of the lenguage and the interest a person have in particular.
Our best teacher Lucy, is an expert showing us these new words that are curious for some friends of the Blog and I think her
intentions is always to be up date about all her teaching.
If you Peter take new and silly words that way I am sure that we all would be grateful to have her always alert about everything new.
I´m sure you take her efforts the best way by your good comments, so let us enjoy the intrascendent every now and then, in life some cheerful and jokes are quite necessary.
Thank you Lucy, you are the one.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
You got it all wrong my friend,
I did not mean Lucy. I was talking about the entire ongoing Word encroachment.To me ,It is too much and extravaganza.Trust me ,we have problems learning the basics let alone the extra odds and ends. What Lucy is doing is great ,no doubt about it.
More words mean more efforts.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Peter talking only about me now, what I can tell you is that I enjoy just a lot seeing new and extra odd words, that´s for sure. The usual words I can see them in the english books I´m reading. These books usually are written recently and frequently authors use these new expressions often so to me is really useful to learn the odd ones too.
I know what you mean but all depends of the students and the level they have.
My level talking or listening is not good of course, but reading yes it is better as I have being reading only in English along some years, that´s the best I always did. It was also my work at the Bank for many many years, reading papers and doing commercial letters.
New and odd words are always welcome to me, I think you can agree with me about my feelings.
I think I don´t get you wrong my dear friend Peter, may be I don´t express myself correctly, and yes reading again what I said it may be as a little mess.
Don´t care about it or about wichever thing I said, to me and to you our good teacher Lucy is the best, that´s clear and all what she do is the most brilliant in our common opinion.
Now here is 2.21 a.m. and I need some sleep. Good night my friend.
November 12th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Who’s Warren? Do they share the common love to cats?
November 12th, 2009 at 6:21 am
In deed, my friend Emiliano
Lucy is the best. What she and Jeff have done and been doing(very novel Lucy, isn’t it? I mean the use of done and been doing) praisworthy. And still, they are hiding their light under a bushel.I am telling you, English language is their forte, that Is for sure.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:43 am
interesting comment on the word bro Lucy,
How about dog?
like, that is col ,dog the same as bro isn’t it or it differes
November 13th, 2009 at 5:02 am
Is very funny how words that are native from other languages was incorporated to Brazilian Portuguese language. For instance the verbs here normally have “ar” termination (to walk = andar / to study = estudar) so, many English words was incorporated to our language but with “ar” suffix. “To click” here in Brazil is clicar (blogar, crackear, postar). Very good text Lucy!! Thanks