bopeep
Noun: A simple, traditional game played with very young children, typically an infant or toddler. In the game, one person (usually an adult) hides their face, often behind their hands or an object, and then suddenly reveals it while saying an exclamation like "peek-a-boo!" or "boo!". The game relies on surprise and repetition to amuse the child and is often used to teach concepts like object permanence.
The word "bopeep" is a somewhat old-fashioned or literary term for the game more commonly known today as "peekaboo" or "peek-a-boo". It is used as a singular noun to name the activity itself.
- The grandmother entertained the baby with a game of bopeep.
- Playing bopeep is a classic way to make an infant laugh.
- He hid behind the newspaper for a quick round of bopeep.
- The term can occasionally be found in older literature, nursery rhymes, or used for stylistic effect to evoke a sense of tradition or antiquity.
- It is not typically used as a verb (e.g., "to bopeep" is very rare and non-standard).
- Peekaboo / Peek-a-boo (n.): The modern, standard term for the same game.
- Boo (interjection/n.): The exclamation often used in the game, which is part of the origin of "bopeep".
- Peekaboo
- Peep-bo (an archaic variant)
"Bopeep" is not to be confused with "Little Bo-Peep", the nursery rhyme character associated with lost sheep. While the names are similar, they refer to entirely different subjects. The game "bopeep" is solely about the hiding-and-revealing face game.
- a game played with young children; you hide your face and suddenly reveal it as you say boo!