Boche
- noun
- /boʊʃ/
- Slur
- Many soldiers were injured while fighting against the Boche during the war.
- fought the Boche
Examples
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We are here to fight the Boche, not each other.
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- Did you shoot down any Boche?
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I was sure the Boche would get him.
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This time, it was only a little welcome from our Boche friends.
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You will get so close to the Boche, you will be able to smell them.
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To the very last moment, I fought the Boche.
Fiction book (1997) -
We've been invaded by the Boche.
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Used to be a farmhouse, now the Boche are using it as a forward machine gun post, they've dug in deep underneath.
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During the First World War, soldiers would often speak of defeating the Boche in battle.
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In historical texts, the term Boche was commonly used to refer to German troops.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Boche was used as an insult for German soldiers during the world wars. One idea is it comes from the French word caboche, which means 'head' and was used like the English insult 'blockhead', so it became a rude name for the 'enemy' and is now considered offensive and old-fashioned.