Meaning
What does Bafoon mean?
Bafoon (also known as bouffon or buffoon) is a term which has two different definitions by nature.
The traditional meaning of bafoon is a synonym to the words “jester” or “clown”.
The new-flanged meaning of the word conveys a more pejorative approach, and is primarily used as an insult.
In this context, bafoon means someone who is ill-behaved or has a distasteful personality. It is commonly applied on stage-personnel who overact their roles in the spotlight.
Origin
What's the origin of Bafoon?
The term’s original form is “bouffon”, a French theatrical phrase which was re-introduced in France by Jackqes Lecocq during the 1960s.
Spread & Usage
How did Bafoon spread?
Bafoon started to spread in mainstream pop-culture after the term got featured in American TV series Baskets.
Sascha Baron Cohen was allegedly also inspired by Lecoq’s teachings about comedy.
He is believed to have created his famous clown teacher character Phillipe Gaulier based on the concept of the bafoon phenomenon
Following that, the expression became a common form of insult in everyday informal speech.
There are currently 17 definitions of bafoon added on Urban Dictionary, with the first entry dating back to 2003.