bizarro

English

Etymology

Variant of bizarre; see that entry for more information. In the sense of “logical inverse”, derived via the comic book character Bizarro, an inverted version of Superman from a planet where “good” means “bad” and so on.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

bizarro (comparative more bizarro, superlative most bizarro)

1. (colloquial) Alternative form of bizarre.
   • 1988, Daniel Moreau, In Death We Trust, page 80:

     "So you found a cow?" Alison mocked his discovery. "That's bizarro, you know."

   • 2018, Kieran Shea, Koko Uncaged:

     "Man," Hesketh said, "that's bizarro. One second they're there, and the next nothing.

2. (informal, humorous) Being the opposite or logical inverse of a familiar person, place, or situation.
   • 2010, Robin Wasserman, Candy Apple #25: Wish You Were Here, Liza, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN, page 23:

     In some alternate, bizarro universe, there was probably a bizarro Kirsten who was totally awesome. Bizarro Kirsten gave bizarro Dillie and bizarro Liza awesome makeovers and awesome advice and let them stay up after hours eating awesome snacks and watching awesome late-night TV.

   • 2013, Andrew Shaw-Kitch, Structure, Seinfeld, and Play, Lulu.com, →ISBN:

     This then leads to Elaine's entrance into what Jerry describes as a “Bizarro world,” citing the Superman concept, in which all of the facets of the show as we know it, especially its principle characters, are reproduced in some way backward.

   • 2010, Gershon Hepner, Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel, Peter Lang, →ISBN, page 618:

     Egypt is a Bizarro-Canaan, looking as Canaan might look seen through Alice's looking glass. It shows the Judeans how a country should not be run.

   • 2012, Danny Katch, America's Got Democracy: The Making of the World's Longest-Running Reality Show, Haymarket Books, →ISBN:

     When the occupation began, Jon Stewart called it “the Bizarro Tea Party,” which is funny because it's the Tea Party—billionaires organizing mad-as-hell rallies against working-class programs—that is a bizarro version of a genuine grassroots protest movement.

3. (literature) Pertaining to bizarro fiction.
   • 2010, Caris O'Malley, The Egg Said Nothing, Caris O'Malley, →ISBN, page 97:

     An incredibly fucked-up parody of B-horror movies with a bizarro slant.

Noun

bizarro (countable and uncountable, plural bizarros)

1. weirdo, misfit

   Synonyms: kook, odd duck, wacko; see also Thesaurus:strange person

   • 1997, Harold Schechter, The Manly Movie Guide, Boulevard, →ISBN:

     Often described as "the Citizen Kane of dismemberment movies," this cult-movie masterpiece set the standards for the "bizarros-who-turn-their-home-into-a-human-slaughterhouse" horror genre.

   • 2008, Cindy Gerard, Whisper No Lies, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 1:

     Showgirl breasts and round hips that swayed to a sultry beat when she walked and drew heartbreakers and bizarros from the four corners of the earth.

   • 2009, Martin Drapkin, Now and at the Hour, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, page 1:

     BOOM!, he can't walk, can't talk, he's in a ward at a state institution with thirty retarded bizarros, many of them bizzare […]

2. (uncountable) Bizarro fiction.
   • 2006, Carlton Mellick, Jeremy Robert Johnson, The Bizarro Starter Kit: An Introduction to the Bizarro Genre, →ISBN:

     Bizarro is literature's equivalent to the cult section at the video store.

   • 2006, Gina Ranalli, Chemical Gardens, →ISBN:

     Bizarro isn't really a new genre. Just a new term.

   • 2009 December 11, Alison Flood, “When authors attack”, in The Guardian‎:

     Not only does it centre on the dire-sounding romance novel, Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller (product description: "When a handsome yet stuffy intergalactic cop is forced to enter the Electra Galaxy's Mr Interstellar Feller competition, and is partnered with an Earth cop as his manager and overseer, hilarity and romance ensue"), but it takes the bizarro quotient to new levels.

See also

• mondo bizarro

Further reading

• Bizarro fiction on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Portuguese

Etymology

Either from French bizarre (“strange”, “odd”, “peculiar”), or Italian bizzarro.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aʁu

Adjective

bizarro (feminine bizarra, masculine plural bizarros, feminine plural bizarras)

1. bizarre, strange, odd
2. exotic

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /biˈθaro/
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /biˈsaro/
• Rhymes: -aro
• Syllabification: bi‧za‧rro

Etymology 1

Presumably from the same source as bizarre, which may be Basque bizardun (“bearded”), from bizar (“beard”), or from Italian bizzarro, further etymology unknown. See English bizarre for more.

Adjective

bizarro (feminine bizarra, masculine plural bizarros, feminine plural bizarras)

1. dashing, brave, spirited, gallant

   Synonym: valiente

2. generous, magnanimous, noble
   • January 3rd, 1832, Necrologia Gaceta de Madrid, Imprenta Real, page 98:

     [...]; y conociendo su posición se fortaleció con los auxilios de la religión, ostentando hasta en su último aliento la resignación de un buen cristiano, y espirando como el hombre de bien, y con la serenidad de un bizarro militar.

     ; and knowing his position he strengthened himself with the aid of religion, flaunting in his last breath the resignation of a good Christian, and expiring as the good man, and with the serenity of a noble soldier.

   Synonym: generoso

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English bizarre or cognates in other languages.

Adjective

bizarro (feminine bizarra, masculine plural bizarros, feminine plural bizarras)

1. (proscribed) bizarre, strange, weird

   Synonym: extraño

Further reading

• “bizarro”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014