Meanings
-
1
adj
informal: lovingly sentimental or amorous, especially in the phrase goo-goo eyes
The newlyweds kept making goo-goo eyes at each other.
-
2
intj
an imitation of a baby's early babbling
The baby answered with a cheerful goo-goo.
-
3
noun
US political slang, disparaging: an advocate of good-government reform
The newspaper mocked every municipal reformer as a goo-goo.
-
4
noun
historical and offensive: a colonial-era slur for a Filipino person
The archive identifies goo-goo as an offensive term used by American soldiers during the colonial period.
Thesaurus
Etymology
The affectionate adjective is probably imitative baby talk or an alteration of goggle and survives chiefly in goo-goo eyes. The political noun abbreviates good government. A separate offensive colonial-era use arose in US military slang in the Philippines and must be treated as a historical slur.