The Meaning of Bomboclaat: What It Is and How To Use It

Have you ever been curious about the definition of bomboclaat? This article will provide you with all of the info you need on the slang word bomboclaat, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word bomboclaat mean?

According to Urban Dictionary and Dictionary, the slang term bomboclaat is a Jamaican slang curse word that people use when they are surprised or angry. This expletive is very versatile, and is commonly used in a similar way to the English expletive “f*ck.” This interjection is used to express disgust or dismay, and can be used in a wide variety of different phrases. This term came from members of the Rastafarian region in Jamaica. This is because the term was originally used to refer to a menstrual pad, and some Rastafarians believed sleeping with a menstruating woman was a sun. This taboo carried over into the Jamaican popular culture, and therefore became used as a curse word over time. 

Like many expletives and interjections, bomboclaat can be used as a noun, modifier, verb, or exclamation. This term is very vulgar, but also very versatile. The word bomboclaat should be reserved for casual situations and should never be sued anywhere in which it is not appropriate to sue vulgarity or curse words. Avoid using this term in formal or professional settings, like business emails or in the workplace, or in letters or other formal situations. It would be considered very unprofessional to use a vulgar expletive like bomboclaat in formal and professional scenarios. This Jamaican expletive became popular on Nigerian twitter. 

What is the origin of the word bomboclaat?

According to Know Your Meme, the term bomboclaat came to be in the year 1956. It likely came from the West African word bumbo, which referred to either the vulva or the butt, with the word clot or claat, meaning cloth. This Jamaican word along with many others drop the ending “th” sound in exchange for a hard “t.” Therefore, bomboclaat originally meant sanitary pads, a menstrual cloth, bathroom wipes, or a cloth used to wipe your read before toilet paper was popular. 

The term was first defined on Urban Dictionary in the year 2003, defining it as a slang term for toilet paper, which can be used as a way to refer to a person as an insult. Here, it was spelled bumbaclaat. The word can also be spelled bumbclaat, bumboclaat, or bumbaclot, though bomboclaat is seen most frequently on social media sites like Twitter. A lot of people have probably seen this word on social media sites like Twitter and TikTok.

People began using the word bomboclaat to caption images in 2019 as a synonym for another meme format, sco pa tu manaa, according to The Tab and Pop Buzz. This annoyed many people, and many Twitter users took to the platform to express their annoyance at the term being co opted for a new, incorrect meaning from the original Jamaican. Sco pa tu manaa, according to Know Your Meme, is a slang term that is used to caption different Twitter images that asks the user, “what does this remind you of?” People use the phrase to ask people to caption things or to give their opinion on them. This is very different from the meaning of bomboclaat, which is used as an expletive, though people have begun to use the two interchangeably.  

How can bomboclaat be used in a sentence?

The curse word bomboclaat can be used in many different scenarios. Like the Englsh curse word “f*ck,” the word bomboclaat can be used as a noun, modifier, verb, or exclamation. In this first example, it will be used as a noun. Jessica and Savana are talking about Jessica’s cheating ex-boyfriend.

Jessica: Apparently he has been cheating on me since day one and I never knew. I feel like such a bomboclaat.

Savana: You’re not a bomboclaat, Jess. He’s a bomboclaat.

Jessica: Thanks for saying that.

In this next example, bomboclaat will be used as a modifier. Here, Jessica and Savana are trying to put together their egg drop project for the science fair. 

Savana: Ugh! I can’t get this thing to stay together! We’re totally going to fail this science fair project. I told you we should have done something easier.

Jessica: Trust me, Sav. When this works the whole school is going to be so impressed! Go big or go home!

Savana: I would go big if these bomboclaat rubber bands would stay on this stupid project! But now I think I just want to go home!

In the next example, bomboclaat will be used as an exclamation. Savana and Jessica have missed their curfew and are rushing home from a party.

Jessica: Sav, sav. Come here.

Savana: I’m talking to someone. Hang on.

Jessica: Savanna, now.

Savanna: Can you wait?!

Jessica: Savanna, it’s 12:30. We were supposed to be home half an hour ago.

Savanna: Bomboclaat! Let’s go! Move, move, move!

Here, Savanna used bomboclaat as an exclamation. This versatile trending term can be used in a wide variety of casual scenarios as a noun, modifier, verb, or interjection!

Overall, the word bomboclaat is a Patois Jamaican clang term that is roughly the equivalent of the English expletive “f*ck.” This word was originally used to mean a menstrual pad in the Rasta region of Jamaica, but has expanded its usage and can now be used as a noun, modifier, verb, or interjection. This word is popular on Twitter, and people have begun to use it similarly to the Ghanaian phrase sco pa tu manaa, though the two have entirely different meanings. 

Sources:

  1. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bomboclaat
  2. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sco-pa-tu-manaa/
  3. https://thetab.com/uk/2019/11/07/bomboclaat-meme-meaning-explained-131016
  4. https://www.popbuzz.com/internet/viral/bomboclaat-meaning-definition-twitter-pronounce/
  5. https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/bumbaclot/
  6. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bomboclaat