bunny boiler
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈbʌni ˈboʊlər/
- Offensive
:
persona despechada (ofensivo)
- She was jokingly called a bunny boiler after sending dozens of unanswered messages to her date.
Examples
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Don't be a bunny boiler!
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After the breakup, he feared his ex-girlfriend might turn into a bunny boiler.
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Nobody wants to be labeled a bunny boiler in a new relationship.
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She is a total bunny boiler!
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After their breakup, she became a bunny boiler, constantly calling and showing up unannounced.
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His ex-girlfriend turned out to be a bunny boiler, stalking him on social media and sending threatening messages.
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Everyone warned him that dating her could end badly because she was known as a bunny boiler in their circles.
How Obsessed
Surface Forms
Morphology
bunny + boiler
The literal constituents 'bunny' (rabbit) and 'boiler' (something that boils) give no clear clue to the sense 'obsessive or emotionally unstable person'; a B1 learner knowing the words would not predict this meaning. The term is slang and originates from a specific cultural reference (the film Fatal Attraction), so its meaning is idiomatic and culture-bound rather than compositionally derivable.
Etymology
Bunny boiler comes from a famous movie where a woman boiled a pet rabbit; the pet was the bunny and the pot was the boiler. The shocking scene showed an extreme, dangerous reaction to a breakup, so 'bunny boiler' now means someone who is 'obsessive' or 'dangerous' after a relationship ends.