opera bouffe

See also: opéra bouffe

English

Alternative forms

• opéra bouffe

Etymology

From French opéra bouffe.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɒp(ə)ɹəˈbuːf/

Noun

opera bouffe (countable and uncountable, plural operas bouffes)

1. (often attributive) A type of French comic opera, typified by everyday characters and ludicrous situations. [from 19th c.]
   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 144:

     He sang solos from "La Grande Duchesse," and many other opera-bouffe songs, with great taste and verve.

   • 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 176:

     There was one moment of opéra bouffe when the plump Biaggi and two other plotters were trapped in an antique Parisian lift between floors on the way to a top-level and secret meeting.