bo-peep

A child plays bo-peep from behind a large tree.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A children's game: "bo-peep" refers to a game played with a young child, where the player hides their face, then suddenly reveals it while saying "bo-peep" or "peek-a-boo," to amuse the child.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The mother played bo-peep with her baby to make him laugh. (The mother engaged in the peek-a-boo game with the infant.)
  • "Let's play bo-peep!" she said, covering her eyes. (She initiated the game of hiding and revealing her face.)

Advanced Usage

• "to play bo-peep": to engage in the game of bo-peep; also used figuratively to mean to appear and disappear intermittently or to evade.
  • The moon played bo-peep with the clouds. (The moon was alternately hidden and visible behind the clouds.)
  • The debtor played bo-peep with his creditors. (The debtor avoided or evaded his creditors by hiding or not appearing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Peek-a-boo (n): a similar game, often considered a synonym for bo-peep, especially in modern English.
  • The baby loves playing peek-a-boo. (The infant enjoys the game of hiding and revealing faces.)

Synonyms

• Hide-and-seek: a game where one player hides and others seek, but bo-peep specifically involves only hiding and revealing the face.
• Peekaboo: a direct synonym, more common in contemporary usage.

Related Idioms

• Peek-a-boo: used as an exclamation during the game, equivalent to "bo-peep."
  • She said "peek-a-boo!" and the baby giggled. (She used the exclamation while playing the game.)