béni-oui-oui

French

Etymology

From Arabic بَنِي (banī, “sons of”) + oui oui, thus roughly “the tribe of yes-yes”. Originally referred disparagingly to the Muslim advisers employed by the French in colonial northern Africa, many of whom were servile and therefore ineffective.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /be.ni.wi.wi/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

béni-oui-oui m or f by sense (plural béni-oui-oui)

  1. (derogatory) yes man

Further reading

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