Baboos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Refers to individuals who are officials or clerks, especially in colonial administration contexts; also denotes people seen as pompous or overbearing bureaucrats; can be used derogatorily to describe self-important persons in official roles
2. Denotes government employees or administrators often linked to colonial-era positions; also implies a pejorative view of bureaucrats as fussy or meddlesome officials; may describe any person exercising authority in a belabored manner
3. Signifies civil servants or bureaucrats historically tied to colonial service; includes the connotation of someone who is officious or bureaucratic to an annoying degree; often used to label pompous or overbearing public officials

Etymology: "Baboos" is the plural of "baboo," a word that came into English from Bengali and Hindi during the British presence in India. The original term, "babu," was a respectful title for a educated Bengali man, roughly equivalent to "sir" or "Mister," and it was applied to Indian clerks and officials who worked in the British administration. Over time, the title took on a mocking edge in English usage, and "baboo" came to describe a clerk who was pompous, overly fond of red tape, or puffed up with the small authority of his post. The plural form is the one most often seen in older writing, where it is used collectively for a whole class of such officials. The contempt built into the word reflected British attitudes toward the Indian civil service, and the term became a stock insult in colonial-era writing and satire.

Synonyms: bureaucrats, officials, authorities, functionaries, administrators