Skip to main content
bobbery pack

bobbery pack

9.9
A group of noisy, playful children who laugh and shout
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : grupo de niños ruidosos
  • The teacher struggled to keep the bobbery pack under control during recess.

Examples

  • A bobbery pack raced through the playground, laughing and shouting joyfully.

  • During the party, a bobbery pack invaded the living room with games and giggles.

  • A bobbery pack of children ran through the park.

  • Look at that bobbery pack playing in the yard!

  • A bobbery pack raced through the playground, laughing and shouting joyfully.

  • During the party, a bobbery pack invaded the living room with games and giggles.

  • The teacher struggled to keep the bobbery pack under control during recess.

How Noisy

rowdy
7 4.0
bobbery pack
  • Archaic
9.9
quiet one
4 5.3

Surface Forms

bobbery pack singular
bobbery packs plural

Morphology

bobbery + pack

The first constituent 'bobbery' is not attested and has no clear semantic contribution a B1 learner could use, while 'pack' only signals a group. Because the key meaning (noisy, playful children) cannot be derived from the visible parts and the novel/nontransparent element is unpredictable, a learner who only knows the constituent words would not infer the idiomatic sense.

Etymology

Bobbery pack may come from the made-up sound bobbery, which copies children chattering and bobbing about, together with pack meaning a group. So it gives the picture of kids bouncing and shouting together, which is why it means 'a group of noisy and playful children'.